Heroic Losers

The hardest thing I ever had to do, he told us, was attending the execution of a young woman I knew was innocent. He was a lawyer who spoke about a case for the Innocence Project in California that he lost. Being there for his client at the end was all he had left to give. 

How much courage it must require to take on challenges like that again and again knowing the stakes, knowing that no matter how much you care, despite preparation and diligence, you cannot control the outcome. Your opponent, the jury, the judge -- each one plays their role in this real-life drama, their way.

Doctors too are high stakes losers. Sometimes they fail to cure sick patients. Sometimes they lose limbs and even lives in surgery. Somehow they go on trying to help us patients. 

Think of all the high stakes losers like AA sponsors, addiction counsellors, police officers, firemen (and women), performers who risk bombing in front of enormous crowds; just to name a few. And famous athletes like Michael Jordon who gave us his famous quote about missing the final shots that lost the game:

These losers are heroes abundantly worthy of the title. If you have lost and tried again, you are too. One of my favorite sayings is "We don't always win, but we suit-up for every game."

Got your suit on? I hope this post will help you to break out from some beliefs about failure.

Cheering you on to happiness, success and failure!

With love,

Mandy

This post is dedicated to JL