How to Accept Defeat Gracefully

Your character is something you spend your whole life building. Some people seem to have better character than others. Some people have the opportunity to develop good character earlier than others. You should realize that having good character doesn't mean winning every contest. Instead, you build character faster by learning how to accept defeat gracefully.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. Accept it. Trying to change the facts or look at the situation in a way that doesn't recognize your defeat is counter productive. When you have lost, accept that fact. When the contest is over, it's over. People with good character don't call for a do-over.
2. Congratulate the winner. Show good character by turning your focus to someone else. Instead of dwelling on your performance, which wasn't the best, focus on the winner. Be sincerely congratulatory and point out the high points of his performance.
3. Join the winning team. A defeated politician of good character gracefully accepts the situation and pledges his support to the winning team. You can join the winning team at work, at home, on the ball field or wherever you meet defeat. Express genuine interest in the winners' strategy and offer to help them carry out that strategy.
4. Leave revenge alone. The Brooklyn Dodgers used the slogan "wait until next year" anytime they didn't win the pennant. But there's no grace in threatening a rematch. To accept defeat gracefully, the competition has to be over. Any future competition has no bearing on the outcome of the one you just lost.