Nell Thayer Heisner

I loved this amazing lesson about success from @Giannis_An34, the two-time National Basketball Association (@NBA) MVP, and NBA finals MVP from 2021. Antetokounmpo (nicknamed the “Greek Freak”) hails from my home country, and I've been rooting for him for a long time! As he showed in the press conference after his Milwaukee Bucks were eliminated in the playoffs, his attitude about life is every bit as impressive as his athletic ability. Asked whether he considered the season to be a failure, Giannis pointed out that not winning the championship every year isn’t the same as failure, just as people not getting a job promotion every year doesn’t mean they’ve failed in working towards their goals of taking care of their families. And then this was the best part: “You work toward a goal. It's not a failure. It's steps to success.” Which almost perfectly echoes my mother’s motto in life: failure isn’t the opposite of success, but a stepping stone to success. So while Antetokounmpo might not be taking home another championship ring this year, he’s a winner for dropping some freakishly good Greek wisdom that’s just as valuable in life as it is on the court.