Losing to improve

When I started playing tennis my coaches advised me to start playing with people better than I was.

“But I’ll never win,” was my response.

“Not at first,” they said.

“But you’ll get better. What’s more important? Beating people you already know you’re better than? Or getting better than the people who can beat you now?”

Well, getting better was. I didn’t just want to beat a few people, I wanted to beat them all! I wanted to be the best. So I took their advice, and eventually I did get better, rising to play in the state quarterfinals in tennis less than three years after I first started playing. But as good as I thought I was, there were many people better. And, it dawned on me one hot summer day after another trouncing, there would always be people better than me. Even the number one players in the world don’t stay number one.

Life is a lot like that. There will always be someone better. Always. So you have two options. One, be content to be mediocre and stay a big fish in a small pond, “beating” the poorer players, co-workers or people around you. Or – have a vision and leave the safety and security of your pond and lose a lot until you actually start getting better. Which will you choose?

If you’re a small business – working out of a home office, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact you aren’t the best thing going. So get out. Attend workshops. Join a social media group. Find out what other small business owners are doing and find someone better than you to challenge and grow from. It’s the best way I know to get better.