To Grow, Invest in Loss

Growth is earned when you invest in loss.

In The Art of Learning, Joshua Waitzkin tells the story of his early days training in Push Hands, a Tai Chi practice. He had a classmate named Evan, and every time they stepped onto the mat, Evan smashed him around. Not once or twice—every session, for months.

It was humbling. Sometimes humiliating.

The Art of Learning, by Josh Waitzkin

But Waitzkin kept coming back. Because he knew that the fastest way to grow wasn’t to avoid these beatings, it was to seek them out.

He calls it “investment in loss”—the practice of deliberately putting yourself in situations where you are overmatched. Not to prove anything. Not to protect your ego. But to find out, as quickly as possible, where your weaknesses are.

Each time Evan put him on the ground, Waitzkin treated it like a diagnostic tool. Where did his stance collapse? Where was his timing off? Where did he lose balance?

Over time, he stopped fearing being hit. He relaxed under pressure. The chaos slowed down. Evan’s movements became easier to read, his attacks easier to anticipate.

And then, one day, Waitzkin threw Evan to the ground. Months of losses had quietly built the foundation for that single moment.

Most people avoid these kinds of situations. They stay in their comfort zones, working only with peers they can keep up with, rehearsing for audiences who will clap no matter what.

But comfort is a trap. It feels safe, but it slows growth to a crawl. The real acceleration happens at the edge of your ability, where mistakes are frequent and survival depends on adaptation.

This is true whether you are sparring in martial arts, learning an instrument, building a business, or writing your next book.

If you can resist the urge to protect your ego, if you can see each defeat as tuition paid toward your future skill, you’ll improve faster than you thought possible. The losses are not setbacks. They are investments.

So this week, find your “Evan.” Step into a room where you’re not the best. Let yourself get thrown around. Learn what the losses have to teach you.

When the game slows down later, you’ll know exactly why.

P.S. If you liked this, read about how this approach helped Waitzkin deal with dirty competitors in my post, “Make Sandals (On Mental Resiliency).”