Enjoy losing!

I would first like to congratulate Nadal on his win at the U.S. Open, and the Trinity Club Tennis Team on doing a terrific job at the San Marcos tournament this weekend.  These dedicated players have truly succeeded due to their dedication to tennis and the hard work they put in to it.  Also congratulations to those who lost.  The courage it takes to keep trying in the face of defeat is immense.  It is not hard to keep trying when you are winning, but when you are sure you will lose it is hard to convince yourself to keep on trying. 

Permission granted by Emily S. 

© all rights reserved

 

This is true in everyday life as well as tennis.  When things don’t quite go your way it is tempting to just quit and sulk about not having immediate success or getting your way.  But when you quit trying your very best you set yourself up for failure.  Even if you become complacent in your abilities you set yourself up for failure.  Just because you can win at the level you are at right now does not mean that there isn’t someone better out there to beat you.  During the summer I took tennis lessons from Coach Jerry Ticer.  He is hard on his players and works on every aspect of the game.  Even though he is a great coach he could not get the girl in the lesson after mine to play anyone who was as good, or better than her.  She was so afraid of losing that she allowed herself to become worse over time because she would not venture out to play someone she might lose to.  Not being afraid to lose is important in tennis; without some loses there will never be a true victory.  You can play beginner players all you want but in the end you are not doing anything for yourself.  You are simply feeding your ego and becoming a stepping stone for the players who are actually willing to stretch themselves to become better. So enjoy losing! You are stretching yourself to become better and you will reap the benifits of your work.  And then, you will get The Ace in Life!