It was the fourth and final quarter. The end zone was only a few yards away, and there was still a chance to retake the lead against the number one rated team in the nation. The fans were screaming as if their will could somehow help carry the play. All the quarterback had to do was find a way through the pain a little while longer.
It this scene had played out in a sports movie, my team would have succeeded. Instead, our quarterback’s muscles cramped up, sending him to the ground. He was spent. The entire team was. Though the team tried its best, the clock ran out, giving us our first (and unfortunately not last) loss of the season.
Sometimes wanting something isn’t enough. Sometimes the opposition prevails.
As we waited among the line of cars departing the stadium, we listened to the head coach’s post game interview. He said the things I’ve grown to expect from any coach in a similar situation. The team tried its best, but had found themselves outmatched. The game was over, and there was nothing left to do but review the tapes and start planning for the next week’s game. They might have lost the game, but they weren’t defeated.
At the office, my boss will often talk about how you don’t truly know the value of a project or a person (customer or supplier) until the relationship has been tested. It is easy to retain your enthusiasm when everything is going well. It’s when things go badly that you truly realize how committed you are to a relationship, a project, a company, or a dream.
Edison discovered 10,000 ways not to make a light bulb. Steve Jobs was fired from Apple. Henry Ford had two failed automotive companies on his resume before launching the model T.
A set back, even a major one, isn’t a failure until you stop trying. Instead it may just be a way of the universe telling to try a slightly different tactic before returning to the field. As I push forward with re-writes and modifications to my marketing plan, I am reminded that it is the rare individual who gets everything right on the first try.
Related articles
- The Positive Power of Failure (martinamcgowan.com)
- Thomas Edison’s Reaction To His Factory Burning Down Shows Why He Was So Successful (businessinsider.com)
- 36 of Our Favorite Business Quotes (tailwindapp.com)
Allie Potts Writes 
And it will all be worth it.
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one way or another!
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Once again, I’m reminded with a post like this one that you are my positivity guru. I so look up to you and all your wisdom.
(And here’s a secret: I’ve only just been able to start reading through a couple of chapters of An Uncertain Faith and–drum roll–I love it! Of course, as a new parent, it makes me a little sick to my stomach, but the suspense is palpable. I wish I had all the time I used to to devote to reading, but in bits and snatches between bottles and naps, I’m reclaiming it, and I hope to never lose the enthusiasm to do so! THANK YOU for your fascinating prose, Allie, in both your books and your blog posts.)
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I am so glad though I don’t know that I am particularly wise. I make mistakes. A lot of mistakes, which I guess in a way is a good thing as it makes me appreciate it more those rare times when things actually work out the way I originally intended.
(and I am so very relieved you are enjoying it)
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We all make mistakes. It’s your ability to have such an optimistic outlook on life and its bumps and bruises that continually impresses me. I’m so glad to be able to learn from you!
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It’s all about perspective.
And I love learning from you too. Your poetry and posts are always so thought provoking even when that thought is as simple as, ‘I am so glad my kids are now sleeping through the night!’ (however that thought usually follows up with something much deeper.)
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