The search for the region’s best young authors and digital storytellers is on. We’ve received calls from everywhere, emails from as far as Indonesia and Cambodia, and believe us when we say we are both thrilled and overwhelmed with the amount of response we are receiving for the Young Author Awards and the DigiTales Awards.

And then it got me thinking. People scramble over who gets to be the best, and there really isn’t anything wrong about trying to achieve all your goals. But some people go over the top, and find themselves starting to become too obsessed with reaching for their stars that they forget that winning isn’t everything. It’s the journey that is more important.

I remember when I was in primary school. Competition in class was so cutthroat that people begged teachers for extra school work (as if there wasn’t enough to do in school). There wasn’t anything wrong with the competition, except that we became so engrossed with being on top that we forgot the lessons that we should have been learning as we climbed to the top – life lessons that could have helped many of us become better citizens of the world.

Here are a few of the things I learned during my journey as a student who was struggling to climb to the top:

1. A smile makes a difference. People take it for granted and sometimes even think it’s eerie to find people who smile back, but a smile does make a difference when you climb up to reach your goals. Maintaining a healthy, happy outlook has both physical and mental benefits. Plus, did you know that it takes lesser effort for facial muscles to smile than to frown? So why strain yourself with a glum face right?

2. A sincere ‘thank you” means more than just three words. Some people are starting to forget the virtue of gratitude. If you want to climb up to the top without gathering too many detractors along the way, it would be great to learn to thank people who helped you en route to the top.

3. Saying sorry doesn’t mean you’re a weakling. Admitting that you’ve made a mistake doesn’t mean you’re a dunce. It means you are well aware of both your capacities and incapacities, and shows willingness to learn. Mistakes aren’t there to pull us down; they happen to teach us life lessons. So jot down notes, and learn from them.

4. There are good people out there. Trust is something earned, not bought. Finding trustworthy people is a Herculean task, but we also need to understand that man was created innately good. Looking at people’s good sides rather than their bad sides help us appreciate them more, and help build better working or academic relationships with them.

5. Believe. If you believe hard enough, you might get it in the end. Ever heard of the saying what the mind thinks, the body achieves? Pretty much, that is true. Believing in a goal – an academic or life target – helps bring more direction and focus to how you find your path to the top.

Climbing to the top is no easy task. Getting there is a feat in itself. The journey can be arduous, but it’s worth the climb.