It's not how you play the game… it's if you win or lose. Or is it the other way around?

My father taught me to always win. To be the best. To be the first. In school. At piano. In college. At work.My mother, in more typically female style, tells me “It’s not if you win or lose, it’s how you play the game.”Depending on the day, and on the football game, I go back and forth. When my beloved Patriots lose, like two week-ends ago, I tend to relate to my mother’s view. When my second favorite team, the Saints, win, like this past Saturday, all of a sudden winning is all that matters.

As many of you know, this past summer I was nominated as one of the top 5 Emerging Entrepreneurs by Entrepreneur Magazine. For three months, I and four other eager entrepreneurs asked, cajoled, enticed, people to vote for us. A few days before Christmas, I received a press release from Entrepreneur Magazine announcing that the winner on the Emerging Entrepreneur awards was Kelly Girard, founder and CEO of Clean Air Lawn Care.

I hate not to win. I hoped you had forgotten about the contest, and was thankful it had been three months since the voting ended. But, being genuinely interested in the outcome, many of you have been asking me about the contest. Thank you for your votes, and thank you for caring.

I didn’t win, and I tried to put the contest behind me. Many of you told me it was an honor just to be nominated, but somehow that didn’t make me feel better. Just like “there’s always next season” didn’t make me feel better about the Patriots’ loss in the Playoffs.

Then, I remembered Tim Sanders’ Love is the Killer App, and about how being a “lovecat” is always the right strategy, in life and in business; when you win, but more importantly when you lose. So I sent Mr. Girard a heartfelt congratulatory note, and, of course, some of our best-selling Alchimie Forever products for men. And guess what? He replied with an email that was just as heartfelt, saying his skin could use some TLC in freezing winter weather and that it had been an honor to be nominated alongside us. That thank you note made me feel good, really good.

Thank you to all of you who voted for me. Congratulations, Kelly Girard. And (now that the Patriots are no longer in the Playoffs!), Geaux Saints!

With love and gratefulness,

Ada