I don’t want to be undefeated

I used to think being “undefeated” would be such a fantastic thing to be. Jordan was undefeated in the finals. The Miami Dolphins were undefeated in 1972. And the original Rocky was undefeated.

However, after thinking about it…turns out, I don’t want to be “undefeated”.

Sure, I like to win. A LOT. Like, a real lot.

But, having taken a lot of punches, fallen down, and each time was able to get back up, I now embrace that process.

I’m a big believer that you only really learn when you struggle. This applies to our personal lives as much as it does our professional lives. Greatness is only achieved through trail and (lots and lots of) error.

Here’s an example of how I learned about the power of focus from a demoralizing loss in tennis.

One might assume that, since I’ve had a few successes in entrepreneurship over the last 20+ years, that I fail less today. Not even close. I have taken three of the biggest hits of my career in the past five years since I started Dragon Army.

The power – and the learning – comes from getting back up, reflecting on the pain, and creating a strategy to be better and stronger going forward.

Embrace the pain. It’s the only way to achieve your goals.

~ Photo by chuttersnap on Unsplash