I want to preface this by saying that I am not a basketball fan. I’ve never been a basketball fan. In fact, I’m not even entirely sure how I came across this interview, but I’m glad I did, because it struck me in a way that I didn’t expect.

The clip came from a postgame press conference following LSU’s elimination in the Elite Eight of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament. The exchange between LSU head coach Kim Mulkey and a young reporter went like this:

Reporter (Jayden Smith): “Coach, this is the second straight year that you get eliminated in the Elite Eight.”

Mulkey: “That’s terrible, isn’t it? Is that terrible, or is that good?”

Smith: “Terrible.”

Mulkey: “Is it? How many Final Fours you play in?”

Smith: “None.”

Mulkey: “So it’s probably pretty good, huh?”

Now, I’ve since learned that Coach Mulkey is a polarizing figure, known for her fiery personality, distinctive outfits, and unfiltered honesty. Some people love her; others don’t. But for me, this moment wasn’t about basketball, personality, or even the outcome of the game.

This moment was about perspective.

Mulkey’s response was layered. Yes, it was witty. Yes, it was sharp. But it was also a reminder that we are often far too quick to judge others from the sidelines. We reduce complex journeys into one-dimensional metrics. We label someone’s season, business, effort, or life as a “failure” without having ever walked a step in their shoes.

Sure, the reporter was doing his job, and yes, Mulkey led him right into that exchange. But that’s what made it so powerful. She didn’t just answer a question, she challenged a mindset.

It got me thinking: how often do we do this in our own lives and businesses? How often do we dismiss or critique someone’s results without understanding the process it took to get there? And how often do we do the same to ourselves?

The reality is, putting yourself out there is hard. Whether you’re stepping onto a court or starting a company, taking a risk means opening yourself up to judgment. You will lose sometimes. You will fall short. And people will be quick to tell you how you could have done it differently, especially those who have never done it themselves.

This is the trap of modern success. We idolize outcomes and ignore the effort. We forget that very few people ever even make it to the Elite Eight, in basketball, in business, or in life. Just being in the conversation is rare. And that rarity deserves recognition.

In business, the parallels are everywhere. You build, you launch, you pitch, you scale, and sometimes it doesn’t go the way you planned. Maybe a deal falls through. Maybe a project flops. Maybe the numbers don’t hit the target. It’s easy to feel like you failed.

But being in the arena at all means you’ve already done something courageous. You’ve committed to growth. You’ve faced uncertainty head-on. That alone separates you from the masses. As Mulkey’s exchange suggests, it’s “probably pretty good,” especially when compared to the alternative of never showing up at all.

This is why we need people around us who understand the journey. People who lift us up when the scoreboard says we lost. People who remind us that trying, truly trying, is something to be proud of.

So whether you’re a builder, a founder, a creator, or just someone working through a tough season, take heart in this: the loudest critics are often the ones with the least to show for it. And the people doing real, meaningful work rarely have time to tear others down.

Keep showing up. Keep doing the work. Because the journey matters, and sometimes, that’s the most important victory of all.

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