Focus on why something went wrong: Nirupama Vaidyanathan, Tennis coach

What does failure mean to you? Perhaps, not an apt question to ask Nirupama Vaidyanathan, the winner of National Women’s title 1992-96, and Triple gold medallist at SAF games in Chennai 1995. Yet, Niru, who runs a tennis academy in the Bay Area (http://nirustennis.com), has an insightful take on the subject.

“Failure is part and parcel of your life; everyday is measured by a win or a loss,” begins Niru. “Your life as a professional tennis player is measured by a win or a loss every single day of your life. Most of these are losses. And you really learn that you have to get up and try to analyse what went wrong. The most important thing is ‘why’ not ‘what’.”Thinking about ‘what’ – that is, the fact of winning or losing – can really take you further down, cautions Niru. If, instead, you ask, “Why did I lose? What can I do to fix it?” hopefully, the next day, you can do better, she guides. “So, that is what we need to focus on: Why something went wrong.”

Helpful lesson for entrepreneurs, too.