Sometimes You Win, and Sometimes You Win In A Completely Different And Unexpected Way 😜

Good morning and Happy Weekend! I hope you had an amazing week. I did, and it wasn’t too busy. Hah! I surprised you didn’t I? 😂 I always say that my week was amazing, but busy. The next couple of weeks will be busy again, but this one wasn’t too bad. However, I do have a piano event tomorrow, and my brother has a talent show, so I decided I better go ahead and get this posted.

I had an idea for a blog post, from a quote that I read on Twitter. That quote said “Sometimes You Win, and Sometimes you learn”. In order to set this blog up, I have to give you a little background information, so bear with me.

I have an older brother named Kaden. Kaden is one of those people that seem to be good at everything. I know he works hard, but he handles stress so well, he makes everything he does look effortless. Do you know anyone annoying like this? 😂

Anyway, before Kaden was in high school and became too busy, he used to build robots for the STEM Competition. He was really good at it! In the 5 years he competed, he placed 3 times. He took 2nd place twice, and 1st place, the last year he entered. For 1st place, Kaden was awarded a trophy that, I am quite certain, was as tall as he is. He is 6’4! That trophy was HUGE! I remember watching him receiving that and wondering how that must feel, to be awarded a trophy the size of Texas. I decided I wanted to have the experience of being awarded a massive trophy too, so the next year, I joined the Cyber Team.

The Cyber Team, was different than the robots that Kaden did (because I am my own person and do my own thing 😊). Anyway, I signed up for Cyber and found out the challenge to was to meet an unmet or undermet need in Education. By doing a lot of research, I realized math was a subject a lot of people felt uncomfortable with. I knew I could help! I worked hard to come up with the Acalympics idea. I made digital story to sell the idea. I made a trifold for the competition to explain it. I even printed up brochures to pass out before and during the competition. Most of all, I really thought I had a great idea that could help people. I was super excited about it.

Everyone I told about my idea, liked it. I even got to talk to the Superintendent of my school district. He told me he loved it and asked how to get it in his schools. I was so encouraged. Finally, the award ceremony came for the Cyber Competition and I could not wait to hold that big trophy. However, that didn’t happen.

I was awarded 3rd place and I received the smallest trophy ever. Honestly, look at the pictures!

Bock, J. (2017). Karstan’s Trophy. [ digital image ] CC BY-NC

Can you even see my trophy? Be honest you had to make the picture much bigger and squint didn’t you? Now, look at Kaden’s trophy.

Bock, J. (2016). Kaden’s Trophy. [ digital image ] CC BY-NC

Is there anyway you can miss Kaden’s trophy?

I was pretty disappointed and to be perfectly honest, I felt kinda sorry for myself. I mean I did all that work, just to earn a trophy the size of a golf ball (okay maybe it is a little bigger than a golf ball, but not much). I was not satisfied with how the Cyber Competition turned out, at all.

However, something funny happened. In the midst of my sulking, I remembered why I wanted to make Acalympics in the first place. I wanted to help people. Also, I remembered my conversation with the Superintendent. He loved my idea and wanted to know how to get it in his classrooms. I decided that instead of feeling sorry for myself, I was going to focus my energy on bringing Acalympics into the classrooms. That is when I started working on making a website.

Now making a website certainly has not been easy, nor has it always been fun, but I got it published. 🙂 You know what? Looking back on the Cyber experience I realized something pretty surprising. I DID win that day. I mean I have a dinky trophy to show for it. Hahahahahaha! I am teasing. Seriously, I did win, it was just in such a unexpected different manner, that I didn’t recognize the win.

Here’s the thing, if I would have won the BIG TROPHY, I would have carried it back to my school, and locked it in the trophy case for the next year. I probably would have put my Acalympics idea up there with it. I would have been content with the big trophy, and most likely I never would have worked to make and publish a website.

Since, I didn’t win that big trophy, I was left feeling disappointed, which reminded me what I really wanted to accomplish with Acalympics, and motivated me to do something about it. So you see, I might not know how it feels to be awarded a gargantuan trophy. However, because of that setback, I now do know how it feels to publish a website that students all over the world, are using. That feeling is pretty awesome. 🙂

Next time you find yourself dissatisfied, disappointed, reaching a set back, in the “sometimes you learn” category, I want you to remember this story! Keep your chin and spirits up. The only time, you truly lose, is when you quit trying. Otherwise, “sometimes you win, and sometimes you win in a completely unexpected and different way”. 😜 It just might take some time to recognize that win.😉

Have a great day! Go play Acalympics