The line between the last to win and the first to lose

When I was in high school, I participated in a math contest held by my tutor. Whoever scored over 80% would be able to go on stage at a ceremony and collect a medal. The tutors printed the results on a piece of paper. I found my name and was in disbelief. I scored 79.5%. Quintessential math laws dictated my tutors round me up, so I had managed to qualify as scoring 80%. My tutors congratulated me. There was another twist. The student’s entry listed below mine scored 79.4%. They were rounded down, and so their score counted as 79%, which disqualified them from the award. 0.1% made the difference. It’s important to keep this in mind. Small progress adds up. This is so clear in games of basketball, where a foul shot or turnover could easily make the difference between win and loss. Breaking through could mean just working until you get your own metaphorical “0.1%” to qualify. And if you get disqualified, try to clearly assess how far off you were. My performance was, pretty much, similar…

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