Have you ever watched a game when one team is either winning by a large margin or appear to be in total control, and then for some reason, they relax and go mentally stale for a few minutes?
And then the opposing team decides that they have nothing to lose, so they begin playing with total abandon by taking bigger chances and going for broke, and they start to score and momentum starts to build and good things start to happen. The bigger risks they take, the better the reward. Then the momentum totally shifts. This team is "playing to win."
The other team, who was originally leading and in control, unfortunately allowed themselves to relax and by doing so, now begins to change its focus, trying to play cautiously and protect their lead. This is "playing not to lose."
By the end of the game, the team that is playing to win has caught up to the other team. What seemed impossible a minutes earlier becomes a reality: they pull off a come-from-behind win.
The paradox of playing to win or playing not to lose is this:
When you’re playing not to lose, the best you can hope for is “not losing.” There is no way to win when you’re playing not to lose.
When you’re playing to win, there is no such thing as “losing”; the worst that can happen is that you keep playing.
4:13
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