During the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, I read an interesting article written by Mary Elizabeth Williams titled “Oscar Pistorius and McKayla Maroney: Beautiful losers.” The article’s main message was that these two Olympians showed more grace in defeat than most gold medalists. In Williams’s closing paragraph, she included “Everyone wants to be the best. Everyone wants to be first. But what happens when we’re not is what defines us, just as deeply as our triumphs.” To take it a step further, most everyone has experienced the “agony of defeat” at some point in life. The fact is, those considered to be the most successful in their field, whether they’re executives, entrepreneurs, athletes, or entertainers, have weathered numerous storms through their journey. The difference is, these individuals knew the only way to ultimately reach their dreams when the storms hit was to push through the puddles instead of avoiding the rain. As Zig Ziglar once said, “If you learn from defeat, you really haven’t lost.” Don’t let the storms stop your journey.
