We expand our minds and develop our capacities by allowing ourselves to confront hurdles, experience losses, and take a good hard look at them. Although stepping away from what is known and familiar and taking risks can be uncomfortable, doing so affords rich opportunities for learning. A willingness to lose and analyze the loss, as well as the unsettled feelings that accompany it, cultivates flexibility. This, in turn, allows us to move forward and gain additional wisdom, no matter what we may encounter along our path.

In Josh’s Words:

Listen:

“The fact of the matter is that there will be nothing learned from any challenge in which we don’t try our hardest. Growth comes at the point of resistance. We learn by pushing ourselves and finding what really lies at the outer reaches of our abilities.” p 47

Further reading: Chapter 19: Bringing it all Together, Chapter 20: Taiwan, pp 33-34, 44

“In my experience, successful people shoot for the stars, put their hearts on the line in every battle, and ultimately discover that the lessons learned from the pursuit of excellence mean much more than the immediate trophies and glory. In the long run, painful losses may prove much more valuable than wins.” p 33

Further reading: Chapter 10: Investment in Loss, Chapter 18: Making Sandals, pp 33-39, 43-47

From THE ART OF LEARNING by Josh Waitzkin. Copyright © 2007 by Josh Waitzkin LLC.
Reprinted by permission of Free Press, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.