With Donald Trump's biggest fear seeming to be "not being a winner," the concept of losing has been on the back of my mind recently. He is so occupied with "winning" that he has lied about the attendance at his inauguration and threatens to silence anyone who does not agree with him. It's no secret that I do not like Donald Trump; in his eyes, that might make me a "loser." Yet, what he doesn't realize is everyone loses from time to time. There is value in losing.
When I was sixteen, I tried out to be my high school marching band's drum major. I practiced hard and was convinced I would be awarded the position. I found out a couple of weeks later that I had not been picked for drum major. I was crushed, but from it I learned a valuable lesson. There will be times when you don't succeed; in those circumstances, your best option is to learn from the situation.
Although I was upset I was not drum major, I reoriented that energy into self-improvement. My band director told me I did not have the confidence to be drum major. He was right; I was a shy high school kid who was likely too nervous to handle that responsibility. From that day, I decided I would work on my confidence. I'm 21 now and have made significant progress in my confidence. I have grown from a young girl who was afraid to be herself to a young woman who loves who she is. Besides, I made new friends the following year that I would not have made if I were the drum major. There is a lesson in everything -- especially when you lose.
Above my bed, I have a Teddy Roosevelt quote taped. My high school history teacher sent it to me and it constantly inspires me. Roosevelt said:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
Despite what Trump may argue, it is okay to lose. I had long debated whether I wanted to apply to write for Odyssey. At first, I figured I would not be hired and thus never applied. When I did apply, I was accepted although I was unsure if I would be. I'm glad I decided to try anyway -- whether it was trying out for drum major, applying to write here or any other project I have attempted that may have seemed far-fetched. It's okay to lose, but you have to try anyway. Whenever I attempt a new endeavor, no matter how overwhelming it may be, I keep that Teddy Roosevelt quote in mind. There are lessons to be learned when you feel defeated.
You can't let the fear of failure stand in your way of trying. You may lose, but other possibilities will present themselves within time.
