Play to learn > Play to win
I came across a snippet of an old Kobe Bryant interview and I felt like I had to share it:
Interviewer: There's players who love to win and players who hate to lose. Which one are you?
Bryant: Neither. I play to figure things out. I play to learn something. If you play with the fear of failure or you play with the will to win, or that supersedes your fear of failure, I think it's a weakness either way. Because if you play with the fear of failing, you'll have the pressure on yourself to capitulate to that fear. If you play with a sense of, "I want to win," then you have the fear of what happens if you don't. But if you find common ground in the middle, in the center, then it doesn't matter. You're unfazed by either.
Winning or losing are results that are not always in your control. But "figuring out"? That's within your control. Be it in sports or knowledge work, approaching your work from a place of curiosity, openness, and humility is probably one of the best things you can do for your growth.