Keeping score honestly when you’re losing is what makes your wins worth counting.

Scores only mean something because they were kept the same way in both directions. The temptation to lose count arrives exactly when the count is against you, and the adjustment is always small enough to feel like nothing. The honest score is what gives every future win its value, because you are the one who knows which numbers were real.

Call the score out loud next time you are behind, and give the point away when you are unsure. It stings for about a minute. Then notice that winning the next one feels like something, which is the whole reason you are playing.