Losing Is The Key To Success

Too many of us expect to get things right the first time. And then keep getting things right all the time after that.

If you’re like me you’ll probably try something once and see how it feels before deciding whether or not you can actually do it.

If you’ve got anything close to a natural aptitude for it you might give it another shot and see if that is any better than your first go. 

The possibility of trying it for a third time will be on the cards only if the first two were okayish. Right?

But if none of those first three attempts were anywhere near the mark then most people are likely to give up. You’ll probably give up immediately if the first attempt is really poor. 

Or if people laughed at you when you tried.

A second attempt is hugely unlikely and the idea of a third would be just out of the question.

But imagine actually being in a job where you always fail on the first go. And on the second.

Once, Twice, Three Times

In order to succeed you have to have a go not just three times, not four times but five times before you manage to succeed.

And in that job you keep on failing five times for every single success you record. 

Imagine applying that success rate to your role right now! You’d probably think of yourself as a failure. A complete loser.

Yet that’s what one of the most successful professionals in the world has to put up with. Getting it wrong most of the time he tries.

Cristiano Ronaldo made one or two headlines when he rejoined his spiritual home Manchester United. I for one was very pleased with the news. For a while at least!

I was actually chat messaging my friend Keith in the morning the transfer took place. There were rumours flying around that he was poised to join Manchester City (that’s Ronaldo not Keith) and I was really quite dispirited. 

Then the internet went mad and it turned out one of the best players in the world was actually returning home after all. Hurrah!

Beefcake Pantyhose

But technically Ronaldo is a loser. He fails all the time.

Each player in a football team has a different role. A team is made up of people with complementary skill sets and job descriptions and Ronaldo’s main job is to put the ball in the back of the net. 

(The opposing team’s net. It’s really important to choose the right net.)

But he only scores once every 6.43 shots. That’s even worse than the numbers I used isn’t it? He shot 2539 times and missed most of them. What a loser!  

So there you go. It’s very clear Ronaldo and Messi are both out and out failures. And yet people go on raving about them.

Can’t they see what the numbers are telling us? They're obviously losers to keep missing so many times.

Coming In The Air Tonight

There are losers like this in every sport it seems.

Michael Jordan is acclaimed as the greatest basketball player of all time but if you look at the stats it’s clear to see that he is also very clearly a loser. Total failure really. He even says so himself:

“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life.”

But then he adds a single line that puts all of those failures into context.

“And that is why I succeed.”

What a self delusional loser!

But Let Me Start By Saying

I think I've made my point so that's all I'm going to write today.

Apart from sharing a couple of fun facts: 

1 - Lionel Messi is actually named after Lionel Richie. His parents were big fans.

2 - Even better, back in 2016 when Messi missed an important penalty for Argentina in the Copa America final, Richie sent him a supportive message.  

"Yes, Lionel, just make it easy like Sunday morning. Don't get all out of shape here. If I told you how many times I lost at the Grammys and it only made me do one thing - get better.”

Lionel giving Lionel a pep talk is border level genius but his message also fits with the whole treat every failure as another step towards success mindset. 

Or does losing so much at the Grammys just prove how much of a loser he is as well?!