I watched a football (American version – but this story can apply to any team competition) game this weekend. In overtime, a player on the team that I was rooting for fumbled the ball on the goal line, and the other team recovered and won the game four plays later. Not the result that I wanted, but I moved on.
The player who fumbled the ball did not handle the failure well. He was devastated, understandably. He was inconsolable on the sidelines, writhing on the ground while coaches and players tried to support him. Competitors hate to lose. However, how we handle the events of the competition will designate who we are. Since this game was on national TV, and the cameras could not stop focusing on his post-game actions, everyone saw his poor reaction to his failure. If my children were watching, I would discuss how this is not how we want to act when we fail.
For this athlete, the grief was too great. Instead of representing his great school with dignity, he chose to put the spotlight on himself and his pain. The old “Feel sorry for me, I screwed up!” pose. People do not know how to lose. Messi does not know how to win, but I’ll save that for a later blog. We must teach our competitors to fight failure, push the limits so they may fail, and handle their losses with dignity and composure. When you fail, learn from the failure and move on. Do not perseverate on the results of your actions. Move forward.
Just Be Better
Stay Strong, Stay Healthy
Everyday is an Interview 