Lessons Learned In The Losing

Lessons Learned in the Losing

It is obvious that in many real-life situations children give up after failure or when they face some difficulties. They do not realize that failure itself is the secret of becoming successful. Sam, the main character of Lessons Learned in the Losing by John Schwarts, seems to know how to become strong and how to gain his aim. Moreover, the boy is not afraid to make mistakes and he is able to learn from his past mistakes. He never gives up. He is ready to work very hard for a very long time to sustain his passion and to be successful. Sam will be discussed in terms of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and mastery, helpless and performance orientation.

What are these terms mean? Intrinsic motivation is connected with the natural human ability in the process of learning and understanding the received information. Extrinsic motivation can reflect true self-regulation or external control. Children, with mastery orientation have a strong belief that effort is the secret of success; they prefer challenging tasks and have a more positive attitude toward the team. Children with performance orientation are afraid of failure and tend to be concentrated on their ability, which is often evaluated negatively by them. If to compare

As a kid, the boy was clumsy and weak; he even lost coordination. His father always encourages his son. Sam became a footballer. He knows he was respected by his teammates and coacher. Once the boy was encouraged by his wrestling coach, who ensured the boy he was going to do well, when Sam wanted to quit. After much frustration and many losses, stoic Sam continues to work. Extrinsic motivation reflects the boy’s self-regulation: he learns that losses and victories are a part of the game. He never looses his temper. His determination in the weight made his body perfect. All these are the features of extrinsic