As pensei said in the very first post:
I, for certain, got very motivated, so it works for me. I’m going to be in Japan by that time, so it happens to be a perfect goal. Also, I got Wanikani figured out now; the best way for me to learn what I need to learn, and how to use WK’s mnemonics and come up with my own as well.
And personally, I think there’s nothing wrong with a bit of competition.