By Nosa Olotu

Nosa Wining is not everythingWhere is the fun in it if you only enter an event when it is certain that you will win? Some people think it is a matter of life or death if they do not win in all their ventures. This group of people finds it difficult to embark on anything unless they are certain to win.

It does not mean that failure is something anyone is proud of or set out for. We all aspire for self-reliance. We would not allow ourselves to be defeated before we start. No one would choose to be defeated. But that fear of losing should not discourage you from pursuing your goals. It is the fear of failure that discourages the weak whereas the strong are motivated by it.  

There could be joy in losing. The joy comes from knowing that you’ve truly done all that was humanly possible, therefore you’re proud of your effort and have learned appropriate lessons from your experience.

The following quotes reflect the view of others who have seem difficult times in their lives:

“Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even.” Muhammad Ali

“There are many victories worse than a defeat.” George Eliot

“Your ability to be a winner 100 percent of the time is based upon giving up the notion that losing at anything is equivalent to being a loser.” Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

In essence the winners are those who try their hardest while believing that wining is not everything. Of course, we need to be careful not to use that as an excuse to justify failure when we have done nothing to win.

The point here is not to underestimate the importance of success but that you should strive hard in whatever you do. If you fail in one venture, it isn’t the end of the world. There are more opportunities in this world than we realize. One door closes, another one opens. That’s life.

The world is full of people who have made it in business but were school dropouts. There are also first class degree holders who failed to make it in life as much as those who had third class degree or none.

Someone asked me, and I’ve thought about it ever since, whether seeing oneself as a winner or looser isn’t a state of mind. Obviously, the person wasn’t talking about winning a sport event or a lottery or something of that nature. He was talking about common everyday life thing.

Looking back now, I should have said yes without hesitating. Really being rich or poor is a state of mind, is it not?

Contrary to popular perception, being rich doesn’t necessarily mean being financially rich.

Those who do not accept that winning is not everything will be the ones who never take risk in their life. It is not true that those who finish last all the time are the ones who believe winning is nit everything.