Take the Good with the Bad

As a follow-up to my post yesterday, where I discussed how to be incredibly consistent and to work hard in order to reach higher and to achieve more, I thought it would be fitting to add a disclaimer.  I got to thinking that there might be another piece that is missing.  As I stated previously, I am addicted to the Olympics and find so many ‘stories’ that can pertain to us all.  I feel so inspired as I watch them compete and try – and win.  But as I watch the events, not everyone wins.  It is heartbreaking to see some athletes get so close but come up short, sometimes even by a fraction of a second.  But, for others, they don’t even come close.

A lesson I take from this is that you have to take the good with the bad – not everyone will be successful every time.  We have even seen Michael Phelps stumble in a few of his events. But just being there makes them a winner and is a lesson for you.  How many times have you wanted to do something, i.e. lose weight, get a new job, etc., but you came up short.  How did you handle it – with grace or did you get sad or angry?  Did you applaud yourself for taking the risk or did you “scold” yourself for being ‘stupid?’

Yes, we have seen some poor losers; I think of the Chinese fencer who lost due to a mechanical technicality and who cried for an hour and refused to leave the area.  I am sure it was heartbreaking to lose but to a malfunction, and then being unable to do anything about it.  But how she handled it after did not put her in a good light with the rest of the world.  How she would have risen as a true hero if she had taken the loss and walked off with her head held high.  When you face adversity or things don’t go your way, how you deal with the after-effects will set the stage for how you behave in the future.  It can lead you to feel anxious or sad and demotivate you to try again.  Or, if you realize that you came up short, and then review the events in an unemotional manner to see what you might have been able to improve upon, it can become the stepping stone to success.

After Michael Phelps came up short in a few races, he was recognized by the press as being a great sport as he said that these were lessons he had to take responsibility for and vowed to improve in the future.  In essence, he took the good with the bad!