I am blogging everyday (or nearly everyday) on The Daily Stoic.

Defeatism leads to defeat. Looking for opportunities can also lead to defeat, but it also has a chance of leading to a better outcome. At the very least looking for opportunities allow us to grow. It’s something you have to teach children playing a game. They can’t and won’t always win the game or in life. Having a defeated attitude doesn’t allow them to grow or learn. Instead focus on the opportunities and small wins from those.

I’ve talked a lot about golf and how we can get into this state. I’ll take a break from that for a moment to talk about Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots. He has his players focused on the small things and doing those really well. They may end up losing the game, but they have a chance to win if they focus on the next opportunity. Ask the Atlanta Falcons how that worked out for them.