Western culture is permeated with the idea that we must always be winning.

Social media only makes things worse. We only post our wins, our successes, and our joyful moments. Everywhere we look, we see people winning.

Even though we know this isn’t reality, it is still discouraging to look at our own lives sometimes and see a string of disappointments.

There’s that book we should’ve finished two years ago. There’s that podcast that isn’t taking off as we hoped. There’s that client who didn’t say yes to our proposal.

But these disappointments don’t necessarily mean that we lost. They could help us win if we frame it the right way.

The musician Lionel Richie said, “When you win, you win. When you lose, you learn.”

Take a moment to look at your failures and losses objectively. What did you learn from them? What can you do better next time? How can they help you be more successful?

If we constantly look at life this way, there’s no possible way to lose. Every experience, whether it’s a success or a failure, is an opportunity to win and climb just a bit higher.

Think about the last major period of growth in your life. Did you learn and grow because things were easy or because they were hard?

I’m pretty sure I know the answer!

No matter what you’re experiencing in your writing life right now, you can learn from it. If things are going well, what can you improve?

And if everything is not going well right now, what can you learn and apply the next time something doesn’t go according to plan?

If you look at every experience as a learning opportunity, there is really no such thing as failure.

Today’s Challenge: What is not going quite right for you at this time? What can you learn from the situation that will help you improve?