Learn to Love Losing

I love winning. And I’ve also learned to love losing.?

This weekend I participated in a 15-hour overnight fitness competition using weighted rucks and sandbags here in Charlotte. I’ve been training for this event for months, and my goal was to place in the top three in order to get an invitation to the national 24 hour competition next year.?

I finished in last place.

It was a small event with only five competitors, so I was only two spots away from third place. The winner was one of my good friends and regular training partner, who won the national competition last year. Second place was a great woman I know who earlier this year became the first person to successfully complete Operation Stirling, a five-day hiking endurance challenge. Third place was another guy who previously competed in GORUCK Selection. And fourth place was another close friend & training partner, who beat me by a fraction of a point in the final tally.

I came in last place, and I’m really proud of my performance. I’m proud because I competed against people I really like and respect, and I know how much better and stronger I’ve gotten over the last few months of training.

It reminds me of when I first made my move from IT leadership into sales two years ago. I knew a lot about sales and I knew a lot about the product from my experience as a customer, but so much was different. The first few months were a whirlwind of new people, new terminology, and new product use cases I hadn’t needed as a customer but now needed to know for different market segments. I learned and grew so much in those first few months, and getting to work with 18 different AEs, 3 different Sales RVPs, and countless other people in marketing and engineering and product and leadership accelerated my learning & experience in so many ways I’m so thankful for today.

I repeated that experience earlier this year when I joined RahRah as SVP of Sales. It’s my first time running my own sales team, and I brought a lot of unique experience to the role but also had a lot to learn. These first six months have been such a great experience, I’ve learned a ton, and I’m really proud of what we’ve accomplished and even more excited about what we have in store next.

Embracing a beginner’s mindset makes so many other things possible in our lives and careers. Being willing to step into new areas, make mistakes, and lose for a little while can be the best path to winning the long game.

We’re in the last quarter of 2023. What can you lose at now that will enable bigger success in 2024?