In every election, there are winners and losers. We all know this, and we accept it pretty easily, but we don't often think about what it takes to be a gracious loser. This morning, I got a great first hand look at one.
A friend of mine ran for our local school board, and this morning, we found out that she didn't win. Yes, we're all disappointed, because those of us who supported her really believed in her and her ideas. It's not the end of the world, though, as she was quick to point out. She can still make change, do what she thinks is right, and make this a positive experience. She can try again, and she is certainly not without a voice. She just isn't going to do that from the seat on the school board.
It's been really inspiring to watch. She has been graceful and gracious in defeat. She also isn't defeated in spirit. That's important. We all lose at things in life, we all fall down, but we can choose to get back up and try again or take a different route or learn form our missteps. We don't have to wallow. We don;t have to give up, and we can always change our minds.
When we are looking to create something new, we need to be realistic about what happens if we don't succeed. We have choices when things go bad, and we have to keep that in mind. How we deal with life's ups and downs defines us, and gives us opportunity to change and grow in ways we often don't consider until we have failed at something.
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." - Winston Churchill
A friend of mine ran for our local school board, and this morning, we found out that she didn't win. Yes, we're all disappointed, because those of us who supported her really believed in her and her ideas. It's not the end of the world, though, as she was quick to point out. She can still make change, do what she thinks is right, and make this a positive experience. She can try again, and she is certainly not without a voice. She just isn't going to do that from the seat on the school board.
It's been really inspiring to watch. She has been graceful and gracious in defeat. She also isn't defeated in spirit. That's important. We all lose at things in life, we all fall down, but we can choose to get back up and try again or take a different route or learn form our missteps. We don't have to wallow. We don;t have to give up, and we can always change our minds.
When we are looking to create something new, we need to be realistic about what happens if we don't succeed. We have choices when things go bad, and we have to keep that in mind. How we deal with life's ups and downs defines us, and gives us opportunity to change and grow in ways we often don't consider until we have failed at something.
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." - Winston Churchill
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