What’s Been Your BEST Bad Idea?

You must attempt the ridiculous to accomplish the miraculous.

David sees a giant

and says, “I will defeat him.”

Everyone else sees a giant, as well.

David walks toward the giant with his sling

and BANG, David is king.

That’s a favorite story everywhere. Here’s another.

Don Quixote sees a giant

and says, “I will defeat him.”

His companion sees only a windmill.

Quixote charges the giant with his lance,

is lifted high into the air on its revolving arms,

and slammed into the ground.

“It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

Wizard Academy alumni refer to David and Don as “our brand of crazy.” Unafraid. Purpose-driven. Willing to try.

So why does only David get a trophy?

What about Quixote, who fought his giant hand-to-hand and ended up in a heap on the ground?

Wizard Academy announces a $10,000 cash prize for him.

Is he/she you?

The purpose of the Quixote’s Windmill Prize

is to encourage the takers of chances, the facers of giants, the riders on the arms of windmills. We are a school for the imaginative, the courageous and the ambitious.

Are you our brand of crazy?

Tell us about it in a YouTube video

before March 23, 2014 and you could win $10,000 in cash, plus a free ride at Wizard Academy for one full year; a revolving scholarship for as many classes as you choose to attend.

These are the rules of engagement:

1. Anyone can enter. You do not have to be an alumnus of Wizard Academy.

2. Your story must be true and verifiable.

3. You can’t enter an idea you did not pursue. You must have taken dramatic action, spent money, time and energy in the pursuit of your idea.

4. You must have learned a lesson that has value.

5. Your video cannot exceed 2 minutes and 30 seconds. If the YouTube time bar on your video says 2:31 or more, your entry will not be considered.

6. The winner will be named on April 23, 2014.

7. A contestant can enter no more than 2 videos each year.

You will lose if you make us pity you.

In fact, you have already lost. Quixote makes us cheer for his courage and he leads us in laughter at his defeats because Quixote knows that failure, like success, is a very temporary condition.

There will be 5 areas of scoring. 

Each of the 7 directors of Wizard Academy can award up to 100 points in each of the following 5 categories.

A perfect score would be 3,500 points.

1. How good was the idea?

Tell us why it made sense at the time. 7 x 100 points

2. How aggressively did you pursue it?

Make us feel your courage, your creativity, your determination. 7 x 100 points

3. How bad was the outcome?

Did you merely shrug your shoulders and walk away, or did paramedics drag your unconscious body from a smoking crater? 7 x 100 points

4. What did you learn?

How valuable will your advice be to the rest of us? 7 x 100 points

5. How well do you tell your story?

This is where you get style points for lighting, color, sound quality, graphics, special effects, humor… 7 x 100 points

Have you tried and failed? Have you battled and lost?

Watch the videos of the other Quixotes who enter and you won’t feel stupid anymore. You’ll say, “Wow. I’m part of a family, a tribe, a fraternity that doesn’t sit and watch from the sidelines.” And no matter how much your misadventure may have cost you, no matter how badly it hurt, you’ll be able to laugh and say, “Well, at least I’m not THAT guy.”

When you have posted your video on YouTube,

send the link to Daniel@WizardAcademy.org and, if accepted, Daniel will post it on the YouTube channel for Quixote’s Windmill Prize, also known as The Smoking Crater Award, The Business Bloopers Award, The Our Brand of Crazy Award.

Here’s why you want to enter your video as soon as possible:

The accepted video that receives the highest number of YouTube “thumbs up” votes will win no cash, but will receive a scholarship to as many classes as you choose to attend at Wizard Academy for 1 full year. The “thumbs up” winner will be determined at precisely noon on April 22, 2014. The earlier you enter, the more time you have to gather your “thumbs up” votes. If the $10,000 winner also happens to be the “thumbs up” winner, the second 1-year scholarship can be given to a friend. Both scholarships will run concurrently from April 23, 2014 through April 22, 2015.

“What giants?” said Sancho Panza.

“Those you see there,” answered his master, “with the long arms, and some have them nearly two leagues long.”

“Look, your worship,” said Sancho. “What we see there are not giants but windmills, and what seem to be their arms are the vanes that turn by the wind and make the millstone go.”

“It is easy to see,” replied Don Quixote, “that you are not used to this business of adventures.

– Miguel de Cervantes,

 Don Quixote, 1605

If I don’t see you here or there,

I’ll assume you’re in the air

on the arms of a windmill.

Roy H. Williams

Chancellor, Wizard Academy

a 501c3 Educational Organization