Academics is not really a competition with anyone but yourself. There is no reason to compare yourself to others. The important thing is to ensure you are learning. Sometimes you are going to give your best effort and you will still not perform well on an assessment or may get a problem wrong. This is still okay! The first step is to review the error. We will use math as an example; did you make a small calculation error, or did you make an error because there is a misunderstanding of the material. The next step is to try a new strategy, find a new resource of information, or seek help. The process of getting to the solution is far more important than the solution itself. We need to become learners where we build skills of resiliency, grit, perseverance, and problem solving. This goes back to our brain making new neural connections and growing!

This is different than academics. In academics, you are really only "competing" against yourself. Whether you are playing the trombone, pitching, performing a hard dance routine, you may have to compete against another person. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Regardless of winning and losing, it is important to see how you have grown. Sure, we all want to win, but growing as an athlete, dancer, musician, etc. is more important. There is no shame as long as you gave everything you have towards the performance or game. Did you get better from where you were before you started training? If so, you've won. The next step is to learn. What could you do next time to further your performance. What strategies will you use to further better yourself that you did not do last time or need to utilize more.