GrasshopperNotes.com - Thoughts for inspired living


August 4, 2010

Loser

Filed under: John Morgan's Blog — John Morgan @ 7:19 am

I believe that the word “Loser” is one of the most powerful words in the English Language.

Words only have power through reference, and “Loser” has multiple references in our experience.

Our society has been so focused on winning that losing is not considered an option, yet we lose every day.

Losing and being a loser are two different references, and we rarely differentiate between the two.

“Losing” is a verb and “Loser” is a noun. Losing is something you do through action or inaction. Loser is something you are.

So if, for example, you lose at a sporting event, you have just lost. But if you internalize that loss and consider other times you have lost in the past, you may conclude that you are a loser.

You can see the process of how the label and mindset gets built.

There is no upside to the word “Loser.” That doesn’t mean it can’t be used to achieve productive results. Reminds me of a story . . .

A number of years ago the NBA (National Basketball Association) ran a series of anti-drug ads targeted to their younger viewers. They featured the superstars of the league delivering a “Don’t Do Drugs” message. The problem was the ads weren’t powerful enough. The kids had already heard that message and, for the most part, ignored it.

My thought, at the time, was the message would have had more impact if the star player looked right in the camera and said, “If you do drugs, you’re a LOSER.”

A “Loser” is something no one wants to be.

If we look carefully at people we label as losers, including ourselves, we will find that they/we are not winning at life. That means that we have executed a set of actions or inactions that have caused us to lose time after time.

If we focus on the label versus focusing on the action or lack of it, we stay stuck in “Loserville.”

What actions or inactions are causing you to lose? Be careful not to look at others’ actions as the cause of your repeated losses, otherwise you’ll remain a loser.

There is a set of steps or missteps that have caused us to lose. It’s useful to identify those steps so we don’t repeat the dance. If we get caught up in the concept of “Loser,” we lose our focus and don’t zero in on the way out of being a “Zero.”

We have all lost at something. Whether it’s love or tiddlywinks, it doesn’t make us a loser, unless we fail to notice the slippery slope from losing to loser.

In the song, “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart” the question is asked: “How can a loser ever win?” The answer is to notice and act on the set of actions causing you to lose.

Appropriate action will cause you to lose being a loser.

 

All the best,

John

LOSE WEIGHT & KEEP IT OFF
STOP SMOKING FOREVER
SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT EVERY NIGHT
IMPROVE YOUR SELF CONFIDENCE
I LOVE MY BODY
RELAX IN 2 MINUTES
FEEL FOREVER YOUNG
VIRTUAL MASSAGE



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