Don McGuire

I was trying to figure out like, what am I going to do this speech on?

And so I said, what do I know?

Like, what do I really know how to do?

And one of the things I said, well, I know how to lose because I had lost up to that point every election I'd ever run for.

You know, I ran for senior class president.

I ran for ASB.

In college, I actually ran for student government as well.

And, you know, I'd not been picked or I'd not won an election.

And so I said, well, I'm going to do this speech on how to be a loser.

So I got up in front of everybody and I had a big cardboard L that I cut out and I taped it to my forehead like this.

And I talked about how to be a loser.

And people, of course, laughed and it was funny.

And, you know, it was sort of a little bit self-deprecating, but it was all about this idea that losing actually is something that can be used as a launchpad, right?

It can actually teach you humility and it can help you reflect.

And then it can help you sort of

craft yourself for the future.

And I think sales experience also gives you that grit because you have to learn how to handle rejection and you have to learn how to read people's both verbal and nonverbal cues.

And you have to get a certain amount of no's before you get a yes.

And so I think those types of struggles or those types of things that you face that are adverse make you stronger and help you become more resilient.

You know, a little bit who you're surrounded by, whatever sort of parental guidance or figures, your siblings, your sort of immediate ecosystem of people that influence in your life on a day-to-day basis.