Win A Few, Lose A Lot

Many successful people say a common life saying, "win a few, lose a few." Successful people win more than they lose. There are people on the contrary. Some people win a few, lose a lot. If everyone wins a few and loses a few, then the average successful percentage is around 50%. There is a balance. The 50% average is false. There are people who win a lot and lose a few. It's life. Life is a zero-sum game.

There are more win a few, lose a lot people than the reader believes. We hear the successful win a lot, lose a few people in the media. We rarely hear the struggling win a few, lose a lot people in the media. Don't take life for granted. If the reader won something, then other people lost. Moreover, world population is increasing. There are a limited number of opportunities to succeed. More people are going to lose.

Here is a sports perspective. There are thousands of people playing sports professionally. In particular, there are 1,696 NFL players or 32 teams multiplied by 53 players per team, 750 MLB players or 30 teams multiplied by 25 active roster players per team, 360 NBA players or 30 teams multiplied by 12 active roster players per team, and 620 NHL players or 31 teams multiplied by 20 active roster players per team. These four major North American professional sports teams also have rosters consisting of inactive players. Most professional sports players never make it to their shows. The percentages a player makes it to their major leagues are low. For instance, in baseball, if a baseball player averages one extra hit a week in a season, then the baseball player is an all-star and potential career hall of famer. Most players never get the average one extra hit a week.

We watch professional sports on television giving the impression hard work and talent are required to play in the major leagues. Hard work and talent are part of the requirements to play in the major leagues. We hear the professional sports players' success stories. We don't hear about the professional sports players who failed to make it to the majors. Many loses, few wins.

There is a movie which depicts win a few, lose a lot. Watch Out Of Africa starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford.