Learn to lose: progress comes from failure.
-When failing teaches you more than winning.
-Learn to lose to keep winning.
You’ve trained hard, you’ve eaten well, you’ve taken care of every detail… but the key day arrives and things don’t go as expected. The weather doesn’t improve, your leg doesn’t respond, your head fills with doubts. Frustration: that uncomfortable mix of anger, sadness and disappointment when reality does not match your expectations. It is normal to feel it, but be careful: not knowing how to handle it can take more energy than the mistake itself.
Here’s a quick exercise for those moments:
● Name it: Instead of hiding it, say, “I feel frustrated today because X.” Naming the emotion lowers it in intensity.
● Rephrase: Ask yourself, “What did I learn today that I wouldn’t have learned if everything went perfectly?” Example: you learned how to regulate your mind under pressure, how to deal with fatigue, how to encourage yourself after failing.
● Widen your gaze: remember that progress is not linear: it doesn’t matter just one day, it matters the overall curve. One bad day doesn’t erase your progress.
True progress is never failing, but learning to get up wiser each time. Just as you take care of your body, take care of your mind: learn to manage your emotions. Because true progress is not only measured in times, but in how much you grow as an athlete and as a person.
Alejandra Clemente Pino,
Sports psychologist, marathon runner and duathlete.
I help athletes to enhance their performance, take care of their emotional well-being and live the sport as a space of fulfillment and purpose.
