Once in a while, I’m reminded that just because I’ve set goals doesn’t mean it’s a straight shot to the podium. Case in point: that time I thought I’d win my division in a jiu-jitsu competition.

I trained twice a day for months leading up to it. And that’s discounting the years I’d invested in the sport beforehand.

I lost the first round. My coach, sensing my disappointment in travelling all the way to Japan just to have an anti-climactic end, said: “Well, you either win or you learn.”

Those words have become a meme in the jiu-jitsu community, but they still ring true. In life, you could either succeed in your plans, or you could figure out why you didn’t.

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