When times get tough, our natural inclination is to keep from losing more. We stop taking risks. Companies clamp down on expenses, cut R&D and “hunker” down. There seems to be little tolerance for making mistakes, for losing bets, big or small, or for taking risks.

What happens during these times is we “play not to lose”. The problem with playing not to lose is you can’t ever win. It’s self determining. The best outcome you can expect is the status quo. If you’re successful nothing changes, you just don’t lose. If you aren’t successful, you lose.

No matter what the circumstances, there is only one way to play. Play to win.

When you play to win, and you’re successful, you win.

There is no upside to playing not lose. The risk to reward is tilted against you. I think the human psyche is funny. In its effort to protect, it often time hurts.

Play to win, cause in the end you have nothing more to lose and you can actually win something. Play not to lose, and you’ve already lost.