By David Tepera, March 31, 2021
If you’ve ever competed in something, losing can be difficult to accept. But remember, losing is a lesson to help us get closer to success.
There are differences between losing and failure. Failure is only negative if you give up. Of course, we’ve all beaten up ourselves for giving up on something too soon.
During my 30s and early 40s, I fought many times during my martial arts career. In one of my full contact fights, I was knocked down in the first round. I wasn’t physically hurt, but mentally, I lost my confidence and chose not to continue the fight.
That particular fight has haunted me the rest of my life. I’ve refought that round thousands of times in my head of where I went wrong, including how I would have changed my strategy. This doesn’t mean I would had succeeded, but failure was guaranteed since I gave up.
What haunts you? What would you have done differently to be more successful? You can’t re-ring that bell, but I hope lessons were learned.
Most people fail diet programs because they gave up too quickly. Starting anything is difficult, but if you keep grinding, your success rate is closer to a guarantee.
How many of you are battling addictions, but you keep falling off the wagon? Don’t let one bad day take you off your path. Just pick up where you left off and get back on the road toward success. Some people might need professional help, but remember, there’s a strong person lurking inside you, so stay in the fight.
Many marriages and relationships fail for multiple reasons. Part of this separation could be from your lack of respect and participation. Maybe you can make amends with a sincere apology and effort. But, if not, I hope the heartbreaking lesson will make you a better partner in the future.
Just know, other people want us to fail. It makes them feel better about themselves for not ever trying. If someone says you can’t, give them a big smile and walk off.
I’m trying to stress to never give up the fight. It’s time to stop regretting, keep pushing forward, even though success isn’t guaranteed, failure is — if you give up.