SOMETIMES YOU WIN, SOMETIMES YOU LEARN.
March 31, 2021
SOMETIMES YOU WIN, SOMETIMES YOU LEARN
My kids were playing chess with each other day and I overheard the younger one say to his brother - "sometimes you win, sometimes you learn".
I can't recollect who won or lost the game but that phrase gladdened my heart.
It gladdened my heart because we didn't start with that phrase but I am glad they got it!
We used to tell them, "sometimes you win, sometimes you lose" until one day when I got an epiphany and I told my wife, we have to change that statement.
We did! We changed it to "Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn".
See, we have been intentional in teaching them that there is nothing called failure.
In life, you learn from the things that do not work out, you also gain from your losses.
Losing is an opportunity to reflect on their learnings and opportunities.
Henry Ford said it better, "Failure is simply an opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently".
I don't know who I am preaching to here.
You thought failure was your end, or that failure was a loss, God said I should tell you that you're wrong!
Not all losses take away from something from you, many of them have added things to do you.
Your problem is that you keep focussing on the pain instead of the gain.
There are gains for you in every pain! There is a lesson in every loss.
No wonder the Bible says, "all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" [Romans 8:28]
When you are living a life of purpose, you never lose! You always win, in the end!
Never forget those words, "Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn".
I believe in you.
- Dr. Samuel Ekundayo | The Purpose Preacher
You Need Clarity of Purpose
In 2017, I applied to speak at TEDx. Rejected. In 2018, I applied again. Rejected. In 2019, I applied twice—both times, again, rejected. But I didn’t stop. Why? Because I was stubborn about my purpose. Like the widow in Luke 18 who kept returning to the judge, pleading for justice, I kept showing up. I kept believing that one day, the door would open. Eventually, it did. That TEDx stage didn’t come because I was the most eloquent or the most visible—it came because I refused to give up. I’ve learnt that any success you desire in life will demand persistence. Not talent, not applause, not connections—persistence. When all else fails, try persistence. When clarity is blurry, try persistence. When the applause is absent and the doors are locked—try persistence. Seest thou a man diligent in his work? He shall stand before kings (Proverbs 22:29). If I could share one counsel with every dreamer, it would be this: Be stubborn about your purpose. Be relentless in your pursuit. For in due season, you will reap—if you faint not. I believe in you. Dr Samuel Ekundayo | The Purpose Preacher