10. How to turn defeat into victory by experimenting with different things
Defeat is experienced by people from different backgrounds, age groups, religious faiths, levels of education, etc. Some people who have experienced defeat are surprisingly young, while others are older, or old. Still yet, others have little or no education.
However, they all have one thing in common: they have experienced defeat, with or without previously experiencing victory. Each one of them has encountered situations they couldn’t conquer, and many of them were eager and anxious for people to hear them out, and help if possible.
This has been the experience of many people all over the world. It is quite unfortunate that some people have even lost all they have and have no other place to go, and no other person to depend on.
Look away from defeat at the bottom of the ladder, and towards victory up the top of the ladder
If we take away our eyes from the experience of people who have been defeated, and move them up a bit towards those who— despite their defeat—continued to have faith and be positive, and ended up turning defeats into victories by trying/experimenting with other things, then we can learn a lot of lessons that can positively impact our future.
Instead of surrendering to defeat, let us be positive and take comfort from the wonderful experiences of past defeatists who successfully turned defeats into victories in various endeavors of life: business, science, arts, writing, government, etc.
Many individuals at the top of every field rose from different types of conditions and circumstances: poor homes, rich homes, broken homes, luxurious homes, slums, etc. But they all had one thing in common: they experienced tough challenges and circumstances.
Everyone who truly turned defeat into victory, encountered and responded to one form of defeat or another
Irrespective of background and situations—good or bad—certain people get knocked down and just remain on the ground without making any attempt to get up. On the other hand, there is a group of people who react differently: they summon their energy and make attempts to get up, bounce back, move forward and upward ever; they learn a lesson or more, and forget about when and how they got knocked down.
If you read the lifestyles of great people who have lived on Earth, you will observe that many of them were engulfed by difficulty and negative losing situations. If you probe deeper, you will find out that each one of them encountered and overcame opposition, misfortune, discouragement, and setbacks many times over.
Although it is barely impossible to succeed without encountering hardship and opposition, it is possible to use hardship to move forward and upward ever
Accidents and setbacks in many fields like aviation and medicine—just to name a few—have guided or inspired aircraft engineers and doctors to experiment with other things; this has led to better aviation and health services.
A basketball coach who wins some games and loses others, watches the videos of lost games, notes the details that led to defeats, and points them out to his team. Also, the coach tries or experiments with other approaches or techniques until success is achieved.
The lesson is this: gain or salvage something valuable from every situation—good or bad
In any endeavor of life, nothing will make or break us more than our attitude towards circumstances. Any person can turn defeat into victory. Always look for a lesson, and keep trying other things until you find what works out, or leads to success.
Although the world is indeed complex and full of challenges, it is also equally true that we often make things complex for ourselves and don’t want to figure out how we do so, or how to stop it.
We like taking credit for our victories, and want the world to know about them; but at the same time, we don’t waste time blaming destiny and other people for each of our misfortunes or setbacks. Blaming others for everything can be destructive to everybody concerned.
Don’t try to blame yourself to the extent of believing you will never be able to overcome defeat and become victorious. If we face our faults and challenges with a positive attitude, we will likely succeed on any stage. Being self-critical in a good way can actually help us build the faith, strength, and the type of efficiency needed for success.
The great Orville Hubbard once said: “A failure is a man who has blundered but is not able to cash in on the experience”. And how right he was, and still is! Victorious people and defeatist-turned- victors study challenges and setbacks and look at them as part of universal and eternal education. With time, they become the sharpest and most unbeatable people that can be found on Earth.
Instead of blaming people or bad luck, look at challenges or setbacks and learn from them
Without experimenting with new things, many people fail to see opportunities that can make them grow bigger, stronger, and more self-reliant. Blaming bad luck never got anybody anywhere!
Many people use the same approach or few approaches to do everything instead of experimenting or trying entirely new and different things; in fact, this is one of the greatest obstacles that make it difficult for many people to turn defeat into victory.
Many people need to try new techniques or approaches whenever they meet challenges or setbacks. Most of us have strong abilities, but without experimenting with something new, we might continue to experience defeats because we persist and insist on using only one or a few strategies that are consistently unproductive, or less productive.
Yes, we must be persistent and insist on being active; but persistence is only one out of many ingredients of victory. In certain circumstances, we might have to try again and again with other alternatives.
It has been reported that Thomas Edison conducted thousands of experiments before he was able to successfully invent the electric light bulb. The important lesson to note is this: “Edison conducted experiments”; not one experiment, but a couple of experiments—in fact, so many experiments!
He was persistent in his goal to develop a light-bulb that has stood the test of time—immortality! But was his success a one- way victory without hitches? No! His persistence paid off because he blended it with testing different experiments.
Persistence alone might not guarantee success in all situations; but if blended with experimentation, could guarantee a higher probability of success.
Conclusion
Many people go through life with a high level of persistence, determination, and ambition, but fail to succeed because they remain rigid and don’t like trying or experimenting with new approaches or techniques.
It is wise to keep focussing on our goals and not waver an inch from them. But if results aren’t forthcoming, then it is advisable to look for and experiment with an entirely new approach, or different approaches.
Also, learn to see the good side of challenges. For all things will work together for good if you remain positive and do all you can to develop clear vision and thinking. Be courageous enough to criticize yourself constructively and in a beneficial way that can only bring out the best in you.