For all those competitors out there, whether in academic competitions or athletic ones, this champion gives an amazing take on a question about failure. In the press conference after losing in the 2023 NBA playoffs to the Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo responds to a question of whether he viewed this season as a failure. Did he win this year’s #NBA Championship? No. Was it a failure? … What kind of question is that? This is a completely backwards way of looking at why we compete. If you don’t win the trophy was the act of participating a failure? Is that the only reason someone chooses to enter a competition? No. We compete for the process. For the learning. For the fun. We celebrate excellence whether we win or not. These are the things that make all types of competitions so important. This is why more students should engage in educational competitions. Don’t sit back and rely on the formal education system to just force learning on you. Take your future by the horns and challenge yourself to learn the things you want to.

Check out this short video clip for some insightful words. Then go compete. Learning is a challenge. It is something to celebrate just like we do with sports. Find your academic challenge and get going. The process is the reward. Not who holds the trophy at the end of the season.