I call our fourth principle Engaging & Rewarding, and to explain it, I have to tell you about my own journey into technology.
From Import-Export to Code
Before I was a developer, I was an import-export manager. I will never forget the day I decided to learn how to code. HTML and CSS were manageable, but my first JavaScript for loop? That was a different story.
For any experienced developer reading this, a simple loop seems trivial. But for someone just starting, it can feel like an impossible mountain. I remember that first week vividly. I felt like I was mixing my code with my frustration, my head on the table in defeat. Each attempt to write a simple loop took so much mental energy that I'd have to lie down, completely exhausted, and the loop would still be wrong.
Then, the next week, it was still hard, but something clicked. Somehow, a loop worked. And that feeling… it was wonderful. Later, when I built my first complete, fully-working webpage with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, the feeling was pure euphoria.
The Samurai's Wisdom
I am a firm believer in "no pain, no gain." Learning is supposed to be hard. But I know with absolute certainty that without those moments—the wonderful feeling of a working loop, the euphoria of a finished page—I would have given up a long time ago.
This experience is why I empathize so deeply with every learner. The journey is difficult, and it's my job to help them manage that stress. It reminds me of my old import-export boss when I was first learning that job and felt hopeless. He was a true character, like a modern-day samurai, and he encouraged me with a Japanese mindset:
"If everyone can do it, I can do it. If no one can do it, I will be the first."
He taught me that overcoming the most difficult challenges is what makes a hero, because so few people can do what you can then do. His encouragement made me feel ready for any battle. I eventually became one of the best on his team, winning awards, because I learned to embrace the struggle, fueled by the reward of mastery.
The Flame That Must Not Die
This all taught me one thing: the flame of passion is what allows you to learn anything, but that flame needs fuel.
The struggle of learning is the engagement. The feeling of success is the reward. The reward is the fuel.
This is why our Engaging & Rewarding principle is so crucial. When our learners make it through a difficult challenge, that achievement must be recognized. Their story needs to be told, their success needs to be seen, their accomplishment needs to be felt. Because until a skill is fully mastered, the flame of passion must not die. Our organization will be the place that celebrates those small, wonderful victories that make the entire difficult journey worthwhile.