Wins, Losses, Lessons

Sometimes life gives you exactly what you asked for. Other times, it gives you something else entirely… not the thing, but the lesson.

I used to hate that. I wanted the neat result, not a lecture in patience or a crash course in resilience. But it happens so often that I can’t ignore it anymore. I have realised that the “something else” is never random. When you don’t get what you want, you always get something you will need or use later - perspective, timing, humility, faith, or maybe just a sturdier backbone.

Nobody brags about the year they spent learning perseverance. You don’t post a picture of resilience on Instagram. But those are the things that actually shape you. They are the difference between breaking and bending, between seeing only what went wrong and noticing what slowly grew you into a stronger person.

There is priceless beauty in it all. The clarity after grief, the meaning hidden in a setback, the trust that builds when you have no choice but to wait. Even resistance has its place. It forces you to pay attention to what’s worth pushing for.

So yes, sometimes you get the prize. Other times you get the training. Both matter. Both count. The way I see it now, life isn’t split into wins and losses. It’s wins and lessons. And the lessons are the kind that stay with you, they are what actually holds the real value. making sure that when the next door opens, you are actually ready to walk through it with both feet on the ground.