As a goalie, you must stay positive. And if you do make a

Hear the words of Henrik Lundqvist, master of the net, who proclaimed: “As a goalie, you must stay positive. And if you do make a mistake, well, those things happen when you play my position.” These words, born of ice and battle, carry truth far beyond the rink. For they speak not only to the craft of the goaltender but to the craft of life itself. The goalie stands alone, the last defense, the one upon whom the weight of failure falls most heavily. Yet in his solitude he learns the greatest of lessons: to remain positive when all eyes judge, and to rise again when mistakes are made.

The meaning of this saying is forged in resilience. A goalie cannot escape the sting of error, for even the greatest must watch the puck slip past. Yet to dwell on failure is to invite defeat into the soul. In the game, as in life, errors will come. But the warrior of the net teaches us that the spirit must not crumble. Positivity is the shield of the heart, the courage to stand tall once more, to face the next onslaught with unbroken will. Thus, the goalie becomes a symbol of persistence in the face of inevitable imperfection.

History gives us countless examples of this wisdom. Consider Abraham Lincoln, who suffered loss after loss in politics before becoming president. He faced failure in elections, in business, and in personal grief, yet he remained steadfast. Like the goalie, he endured the shame of mistakes, the criticism of crowds, yet he returned to the field again and again. His resilience, rooted in a refusal to be destroyed by failure, became the foundation of his greatness. Lincoln, like Lundqvist, understood: mistakes do not define us—how we rise after them does.

The origin of Lundqvist’s words lies in the very nature of his position. To be a goalie is to live with constant risk. The forward may miss a shot, the defender may stumble, and the error passes quickly. But the goalie’s mistake is illuminated for all to see, etched into the scoreboard, carried like a scar. Yet it is precisely this crucible that breeds wisdom. He reminds us: do not fear mistakes, for they are part of the role you play. To accept them with humility and move forward with strength is the mark of true mastery.

The deeper lesson here is one of perspective. Too often, people become prisoners of their failures, replaying them endlessly, until their future is shackled by their past. Lundqvist’s counsel shatters this chain: acknowledge the mistake, then release it. Life demands forward motion. The game continues, and so must we. The hero is not the one who never errs, but the one who learns, adapts, and dares again with renewed courage.

Let this wisdom guide you: in your own struggles, stand as the goalie stands. Do not allow the fear of failure to silence your effort. When errors come, face them, learn from them, and let them pass into history. Guard your mind with positivity, for without it, even small failures will grow into overwhelming defeat. With it, even the heaviest burdens can be carried with dignity.

So I say unto you: live as Henrik Lundqvist teaches. Stay positive in your trials, be courageous in your mistakes, and never let failure steal your spirit. For life, like the game, will test you with unrelenting force. But if you guard your heart as the goalie guards the net—with courage, humility, and resilience—you will emerge not unscarred, but undefeated in spirit. And in this lies true victory, a victory no scoreboard can measure.