Square one: a happy place

Tags: Culture, Don Quixote, English language, Lifestyle Experiment, Loss, Psychology, Winning

We feel bad when we have to tell someone that the project isn’t going anywhere and that we will have to go back to square one.

Why do we dread this phrase, or this stage in life and work? What would the alternative be? To march headstrong forward in a direction that has no hope?

Our culture has cultivated the message of winning. But sometimes we get blinded by the idea of winning – no-one can win all the time. Losing isn’t bad – it is part of the process. Admitting that you are lost and returning to square one can be the most productive thing you can do that day. The alternative is becoming a modern day Don Quixote, fighting phantoms and winning illusionary battles…

So Square One isn’t such a bad place after all, nor should we dread returning there…

Tags: Culture, Don Quixote, English language, Lifestyle Experiment, Loss, Psychology, Winning