I’m a latecomer to the Great British Bake-Off, the Netflix series that got a lot of people through the pandemic. I typically don’t watch cooking shows, but I’ve found a certain comfort, even joy, in watching ordinary people strive to improve their baking skills while treating each other with grace during a competition. They witness to the courage it takes to put out one’s best effort and take the critique of the work without taking the criticism personally.

Here are the lessons I learned from watching two seasons of the Great British Bake-Off:

1) When one person loses, we all lose. Even those who received Star Baker felt the loss of the person who had to go home. There were tears and hugs because loss and disappointment are universal. They knew it could have been them headed home and that out of the 12 contestants, there would only be one winner.

2) Sometimes our best efforts will not be good enough, and that’s OK. The bakers tried their best, but sometimes things happened. They misjudged bake times, forgot ingredients, or just lacked the experience and practice needed for the complex baking projects they were tasked with. They were subject to human frailties. But even if they were sent home, they valued the experience.

3) Good winners understand the failure is part of the process. Even those who received a handshake from Paul Hollywood or were named Star Baker experienced off days. Nobody hits a home run every time, and learning from mistakes is how we grow.

Though I’m not entering a baking or cooking contest any time soon, these ordinary bakers were inspiring with their creativity in their baked art, kindness toward one another, and grace when losing or winning. More than baking fancy desserts, these bakers showed us how to live with kindness and courage.