How Much Do You Hate Losing?
by Matt Furey

No, I'm not talking about how many pounds you do or don't want to lose. I'm talking about whether or not you HATE losing in sports, contests or the game of life itself. Make no mistake about it. Winners hate to lose even more than they love to win.

As the Lombardi saying goes, 'Show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser.' Fact is the pain and humiliation of losing often drives champions on to victory. I know it did me.

Yes, I love winning and I train to win - but the biggest life-changing moments for me were when I was distraught over a loss and needed to pick myself up and start again. I used the pain associated with losing to help me succeed at a higher level. If I was ho-hum about losing, I doubt I would have advanced very far. I've been on winning and losing sides in sports, martial arts and business.

And I can unequivocally say that even though the last thing I ever wanted was another loss, in some ways they did more to influence my character and future victories than the wins. Winning comes to you a lot faster when you don't just train for and expect to win - but when you absolutely hate losing and have an attitude of intolerance about it.

This does not mean that you beat yourself up over your mistakes and failures. You forgive yourself, move on and start again. At the same time, though, you remind yourself of what leads to failure - and you do everything you can to stay away from the pitfalls that cause it. And one of the biggest causes of failure is NOT trying again and again and again - until you eventually succeed. Mistakes and failure lead you to greater heights of achievement; they help you overcome all odds. They are not there to derail, de-motivate or discourage you.

-- Matt Furey

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