Win or Learn

Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels

Sometimes we make mistakes. After all, "to err is human" (though not especially pleasant).

So what do you do when you mess up?

My default behavior is to start by beating myself up with a list of "could have," "would have," and "should have." (I "should" on myself a lot.) 

The good news is that I'm self-aware enough to catch myself when that doom loop starts. And now I've got another message to tell myself:

"Win or learn."

Rather than putting mental energy into self-flagellation, I take a breath and focus on what I can learn from the mistake. I consider it "paying tuition." And when it comes to paying tuition, some lessons are more expensive than others, which also means that what I learn from those experiences is all the more valuable. 

When I beat myself up, that is an example of "energy out." On the other hand, when I focus on learning, that is an example of "energy in." So if I want to stay energized and avoid burnout, I've got to shift my default behavior to focus on learning rather than my mistakes.

I'd like to make a request here. Please stop thinking about life in terms of "win or lose." Try seeing what happens in terms of "win or learn." Plus, you get to win and learn on your best days!

For Reflection

• How would your life change if you focused on what you learn rather than what mistakes you make?

• What will help you do that?