09 Jan Triumph and Disaster
“If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same…”
This is taken from one of the most inspiring reads we’ve recently come across. And not from a modern doyen of entrepreneurship, but a 100-year old poem by Rudyard Kipling. The poem, called If, is an inspired, stoic read. If you’re so inclined click here for the full poem.
These particular two lines are so powerful, they’ve been placed over the players’ entrance to Wimbledon’s Centre Court. It’s a perfect reminder for two athletes going out to battle for one of the greatest sporting achievements in the world. It’s apt because both triumph and disaster will be felt in spades at the end of the match.
Being a start-up we’ve become intimately familiar with both. It goes with the territory of creating anything new, be it in a small start-up or a large corporate environment.
What Kipling said back in 1909 is more relevant today in life and business than ever. Kipling describes triumph and disaster as “impostors”. Imposters because both are short-lived. They are not real, they are misleading and illusory. Whichever one you experience, it (generally) won’t last. Everything evens out eventually.
In the face of huge wins and gut-wrenching loss, keep your composure. Be patient. Continue on.
So celebrate the wins, but not too much. Commiserate the losses, but not for too long.
Hopefully, you meet with the triumph impostor more often than disaster! But whatever this year has in store for you, it’s just a moment in time. And, like all things, it will pass.