There is no winning or losing. There is only winning and learning.
I had an inspirational conversation with my friend Sam. He is a manager in one of the top companies in China. Sam shared a very special story with me.
When Sam was in school, he was one of the smartest students and got to attend one of the best schools. Not only was he smart, but he was athletic too and was the MVP in the University basketball ompetitions. He got good jobs and was able to start his own business. This sounds like a dream life for many. However, he still had some failures and told me, “I am afraid of failure. I know I have to change my mindset but I can’t. That’s why I don’t want my children to grow like his father and believe that winning is the only way.”
Maybe we are all wrong. Success isn’t just about winning all the time.
One of my favourite quotes from Michael Jordan is, “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
At the end of the conversation, Sam said he was jealous of me because I’m not worried about failing. He was right. I do not see failure as a failure. I see failure as a necessary process before winning.
There is no winning or losing. There is only winning and learning.