Losing 26 Games in a Row - Does Not Make You A Loser

Whether you follow sports or not you may have heard of the losing streak of the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team, 26 games in a row, before finally winning last night.  Much was said regarding the reason the team was struggling, mainly though, due to the loss of Lebron James to the Miami Heat.  Yet this group of men were just deemed losers, not caring, quitters.  But unless they collectively expressed this about themselves or just called in sick and didn't play the games, no one should ever speak so harshly about another.

I know first hand what it is like to get caught in a losing streak.  Never once did my players quit or not care.  If anything, they cared even more and tried even harder.  But what it did do was greatly effect their self-esteem and personal beliefs in their own abilities.  They then found themselves not only facing the opponent in the other dugout, but the greater foe of themselves.  They were also fighting off what was being written about them in the paper, said in the classroom, and the questioning of why they "sucked" (outsiders words, not ours).  So extra time was then spent tackling confidence and mental strength.  Together we stayed the course and I KNOW it made them stronger and better people because they endured when no one thought they could.  It built character, gave them greater appreciation for the little things, and insight into themselves.

So the next time you're quick to throw out an opinion on someone else, stop.  You never know what they are going through or what effort they are putting forth.  Winning is easy, Losing is hard. Winning is crowded, Losing is lonely.  Winning is the popular kid, Losing is the class geek.  But at the end of the day give me the person who has come through the struggle and still standing tall, they know how to endure.  They'll have your back when the going gets tough.  They'll know how to handle adversity, overcome the lows.
The losers will be the real winners because they never quit.