Maria Sharapova had her share of losses over her career.
171 to be exact.
That’s 171 times she had to walk to the net, shake hands with her opponent, and leave the court in defeat. But she doesn’t look at those moments as defeats. She uses those as an opportunity to make progress.
Here’s what the tennis superstar told Tim Ferriss in his book Tribe Of Mentors on why losing was beneficial for her career:
“In my profession, losses are often seen as failures. Not being the person who wins the last point, walking off the court first. All those visible things. But internally, losing sets you up for winning. Losing makes you think in ways victories can’t. You begin asking questions instead of feeling like you have the answers. Questions open up the doors to so many possibilities. If a loss sets me up for those tough questions I might have to ask, then I will get the answers that will ultimately turn those losses into victories.”
Think about that for a moment.
Sharapova’s view of losing is reflective of a growth mindset. Rather than letting a loss act as an anchor and pull her down, she uses them as a chance to get better. The stigma of losing only has to be negative if you treat it as such.
On the diamond, losses can come in many forms. As a team, opponents can beat us, exposing weaknesses. Individually, we can have hitless games, error-prone innings, or be mangled on the mound. How we react can make a significant difference.
If you apply Sharapova’s thinking to the events -- consider why you are not hitting, what is causing the errors, or why you are misfiring pitches and focus on making improvements in those areas -- you can use those experiences to improve your game and ultimately turn those losses into victories.
From a broader view, there is even some evidence that shows experiencing failure can help a person toward future success. Researchers have found that when given a motor-skill task, a person’s brain activity demonstrates a different learning pattern from performing a task incorrectly.
In the instance of tennis, if you make bad shots and feedback is given that you did not succeed, your brain is mapping out how to do that same task better the next time it faces those circumstances.
As a hitter, if you face a machine firing 100 mile per hour fastballs, your body will constantly try to adjust until it solves that problem. Swinging and missing 100 times just means the body is learning. Failure allows the brain to help organize the body.
Just because you lost, it doesn’t mean you failed.
Just because you failed, it doesn’t mean you aren’t getting better.
Keep Sharapova’s lesson in mind: Losing makes you think in ways winning cannot.
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