Sometimes You Win Sometimes You Learn, by John C. Maxwell is not a book that will quote the same idioms that we have heard a million times. Never give up, Failure is not final and all the others you are tired of listening to. Its not a book that will tell you how to be a winner, it is more of turning not wins, into wins.
Maxwell, very briefly, but very often quote that the best teacher is not experience, it is the evaluated experience. He sets out a loose foundation, a framework to turn losses into gains.
The Traps or The Paths
The eleven elements could be called the traps that people tend to fall into, when they are struck by failure, or when they see things not going their way, or they could be called the path that the fallen take to build up back to where they were and where they want to be.
The eleven elements are general, and they are not a very strong piece of advice, its nothing you wouldn’t have heard of in a different book. However, how you learn the way to them, is what makes the book different.
Stand Apart
In Sometimes You Win Sometimes You Learn, unlike most authors, Maxwell explains terms with his personal experience. He shares his mishaps, failures and mistakes. It makes it easier for the reader to connect with Maxwell, owing to the relatable content and what does he mean when he takes an action.
His sensible insight and his way of looking back at things, while most say, never look back, is what keeps the reader bound to the text. The clear framing of all the topics over 13 distinct chapters with no repeated content, makes the read un-boring or rather, a pleasure.
Conclusion
Maxwell doesnt guide you to the mark of the victory, he just tells you that not winning: is inevitable and we shall learn from it to winning. And I say, not winning because according to him, failure is off the table. Since those who learn from their mistakes, win, well eventually.
Sometimes You Win Sometimes You Learn, by John C. Maxwell
book review by Pervaiz “P.K.” Karim
CalcuttaKid.com