Don't Be Afraid to Lose

So many of us are afraid of losing.We are afraid of losing mainly because we are concerned about how others will perceive us and the consequences of the loss itself. Let me first address the others. Most of us humans are deathly afraid of being judged as a loser; as someone who just doesn’t win, a person who never accomplishes anything, an “unlucky” person. The person who no one wants to be around. This unrelenting fear paralyzes us many times from not taking action or working towards a goal, and as a result effectively becoming the loser we are so desperately try to avoid. Stop caring about how other people perceive you and don’t succumb to what Zig Ziglar taught me as False Evidence Appearing as Real.

Now, what about the consequences associated with the loss? The cause and effect relationship between your action or inaction and the loss itself. Understanding that most of us lose more than we actually win will help you deal with the losses. The key is getting comfortable with the idea of the loss and the reality of the loss. Whether you are negotiating a business deal or playing a game, mentally preparing yourself for the potential of a loss actually puts you in a winning position. You’ve heard it before, “nothing to lose, everything to gain”. If you train yourself to get comfortable with the loss you will put yourself in an enviable position with your opponent. When they realize you don’t care if you win or lose, it will scare them. It freaks people out. Most do not know how to handle others with a “nothing to lose mentality” and, more likely than not, will lose themselves due to their own fears. Their preoccupation with your “nothing to lose mentality” actually gives you the upper hand. Stop caring about how others will perceive your losses, and let others know you don’t care if you lose, and you will WIN.

P.S. We all want to win, and all should work towards winning. I get that. But don’t be afraid to lose.