On Losing: Sometimes that's exactly the wake up call you need

I'm a bandwagon basketball fan at best.  Since my local team, The Golden State Warriors are the league's hottest ticket, I decided to bandwagon for their historic playoff run.  

<----- Harrison Barnes was my encouragement  for bandwagoning...He  was doing his HOMEWORK on the ride back from Cleveland.  HOMEWORK Y'ALL.  (Do you need me to be any more specific Jesus?)  

Never miss an opportunity to Write your vision on the tablet y'all!

Unless you've been under a rock, then you know Golden State had a historic collapse in the playoffs becoming the first team to lose the Finals after being up 3-1.

All year I had been worried that they were going to get the record and then lose the finals similar to what happened when the 2007 New England Patriots went undefeated before losing the Super Bowl to the New York Giants in the final minutes of the Super Bowl....and then it happened.

All Winners Must Lose

All of the Greatest Basketball Players have lost in the Finals or Conference Finals.  Magic lost a few, Lebron has lost 4, Kobe lost in the Finals, as did Tim Duncan.  Michael Jordan has never lost in the Finals but the Detroit Pistons shut his Bulls' down several times in the Eastern Conference Finals before they were able to advance.

The point is anybody who is a winner has experienced defeat at some point or another.  That's all apart of the game.

It's fine to Lose..it's not fine to BE a LOSER and have a defeated mindset.

If you're going to be a winner, then you must come to grips with losing.

What makes a Winner different from a Loser

When a winner loses, then that motivates them to work EVEN HARDER.   She doesn't make excuses for losing.  She accepts responsibility for the loss and then vows to work on improving so she can have success the next time.

A loser is comfortable with the loss, makes excuses, blames other people for their loss, and doesn't think she needs to work on anything to prevent another loss...because what's the use?  It doesn't make a difference because I'm just going to lose again.

It all comes down to mindset.  A winner is willing to accept responsibility, put in the work, and get back in the game.  A loser gives up, blames everyone else, and spends the rest of her life complaining.

Losing can be just the wake up call you need

I know for me when I've lost it has been the wake up call I need to get my life right.  When I lost by failing out of my management job, it was just the wake up call for me to GO GET IT and start my plan for my own business.

When I lost by failing at the fitness competition, I finally was able to address the deep seeded issues that drove me to embrace restrictive and excessive exercise.  It was a wake up call to me that I needed to address this idea about not being enough.

Even now when I feel like I've failed because I have 20 pounds that won't go away due to all of the restrictive dieting and exercise...it was a wake up call to me that the methods of the Fitness Industry are ineffective and causing so many women to yo-yo diet.  It's time for something new.

Losing can wake you up out of your comfort zone.  Maybe you've been phoning it in and not giving it your all.  Maybe you've been skating by on talent and not putting in work.  Maybe you're injured or hurting and you need to heal after that relationship so it's a wake up call for you to address those wounds before jumping into another relationship.

Don't Get me Wrong....

Losing Sucks.  I felt so bad for our guys on Golden State after their loss.  They were so hurt and sad. It doesn't feel good.  Look at Poor Cam Newton Post Superbowl.  Losing HURTS.  You're not SUPPOSED to like Losing...you've just got to know how to handle it.

As Vince Lombardi once said, 

Show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser.

I'm not saying that we should enjoy losing but we also shouldn't resist it.  We should embrace all that we're experiencing and use that as fuel and learning to do better the next time.

 God often has a way of turning our biggest losses into the framework and foundation of our biggest wins and victories.

• You Lose Your job and then God says it's time for you to pursue what he's called you to do.
• You lose your relationship or are rejected by the one you wanted and then you find out that was the best thing that could have ever happened to you AND then God sends you what he had for you all along
• You lose your money and then are forced to trust God for provision and he is so faithful.  You can have the testimony...that you don't know how you made it but God.
• You had the title, the money, the success on the outside and it all fell down. It turned out to be a wake up call from the Lord because What shall it profit for a man to gain his whole world and lose his soul?

A Few Tips on Losing..

Do not miss the opportunity that you have been given when you suffer a loss.   Here are just a few tips:

• Accept Responsibility for the Loss.  
• Don't Blame Others
• Don't Resist the Loss.  Experience it.  Mourn it.
• Take the Lessons you learned and then use that to improve and develop for the next time
• Don't be afraid to lose.  It's going to happen.  Accept it and don't let it stop you from taking risks.  
• Don't develop a defeated mindset.  Just keep going.
• Wake Up, Open your eyes, and see if this loss was a wake up call to move forward in life.

It looks like the squad will be without Harrison Barnes next year but they are aggressively pursuing Free Agents, so we will be back! Calling Golden State Champs in 2017!!!

It was nice to be a bandwagon fan for basketball, but now it's back to business for me!  I am ready for some football!