Inevitably, some things we do will work out better than others. Taking a philosophical view with a win-some-lose-some attitude helps us to come to terms with setbacks and disappointments.

While it’s great to be able to pick ourselves up and move on, relying too much on it can mean that we acquire an unexamined belief which places a greater value on what we ‘win’ and a lesser value on what we ‘lose’ (or what we ‘succeed’ at vs what we ‘fail’ at).

Another way of looking at it might be to see that the two can’t be separated. Rather than looking at win OR lose as separate outcomes, consider win AND lose as belonging to the same process.

By this method, one would strive for AN outcome, rather than the RIGHT outcome. In other words, making things happen by trying lots of things increases the chance that there will be a result.

This doesn’t mean that you have to try lots of things in all situations; if something is working, stick with it. But splitting things into winning and losing creates a false dichotomy; by attempting to avoid one we deny ourselves the possibility of the other.

Exploring creating and inventing are their own rewards, and sometimes if you have to try lots of things there’s more chance that you’ll stumble across treasure that would otherwise go undiscovered.

I’m a psychologist, coach, and therapist. All my work is aimed at enabling people to improve personal aspects of their lives and work.

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