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The Chess Coach

Once there was a coach who trains his students in the game of chess . Coaches have their own ways. This coach would play a game with his students and defeat them. He would then put all the pieces back in their starting position. He would replay the game along again with his students following the same sequence of moves, and in the process explain to them what were the mistakes and what were the good moves. One thing never changed is every day he would play another game and defeat his students another way. And, then the whole process of replaying and coaching would be done.

However, two things kept changing. One, the students was not repeating much of their earlier mistakes, though they keep on displaying there is always scope for new mistakes. Two, the coach started asking his students, what were the coach’s mistakes. Much more than the game, the way they analyzed after the game was fabulous. Eventually, one day, one student defeated the coach. The happiness in the coach’s face on that day was infinitely greater than all the days when he had been defeating. It was in his defeat, though he lost as a chess player, he triumphed as the chess coach.

In observing this, the coach from the beginning, was never playing the game against his students rather playing the game with his students. Even when he was allowing the students to make mistakes, he was with his students. That was his way of giving the experiences to learn. That was his way of showing where they are and where they’re capable to reach. That was his way of winning, by making his creation a winner.

Learning: Various challenges in our lives improves the way we play the game of life. Even if we’re not yet a winner, we’re on our way to winning in life.