Optimism Thought of the Week

For Sunday, May 05, 2019

The Bright Side of Defeat

“Our strength does not come from our sunny days, our strength comes from the storms.”

By Glennel Hardy

In this life the first time I ever received a trophy for anything of a competitive nature was in my early twenties.  Growing up and participating in either the neighborhood YMCA or Police Explorer Programs, the most I would receive was either a “Certificate of Achievement” or a “Certificate of Participation.”   Back during that time those documents did not propel me to higher goals, they only served as honorable mentions.  When I became an adult,  that is when I took notice that any type of achievement played a purpose. Whether small or large any achievement we make in life is better than how we started.

When it comes to defeat it hurts when we lose by a little, and it also devastates us when we lose by quite a bit.  A different way of looking at defeat is like comparing it to a set of weights. Your muscles are pushing against the weights, and its being met with resistance. We can use the weights once and never succeed in our goal, or we can continue to use them and build up resistance.  We are constantly met with resistance, but we must choose either to be intimidated by it, or make it our ally.