Introduction
There was a point when I thought not studying was the key to acing your classes—after all, every top scorer I knew would always tell me that they “didn’t study at all.”
In a society that’s become more abstract—reluctant to reveal one’s efforts yet eager to show off results—it can be extremely daunting to chase the same level of achievement and skill reached by the most competitive people. Despite each person’s success story being different, this very abstraction of effort leads people to think the opposite.
The people I couldn’t see myself competing with felt like giants of the world. But by finding my own area of specialization, something that I knew was unique, I found something to be confident about and enjoy it all the while. You’ll learn to do so as well!
Facing the Mountains
What people often misunderstand about so-called ‘geniuses’ is that they think ‘geniuses’ are all talent: having neither hard work nor passion. The reality is that people who find success in their respective fields are a combination of talent, hard work and passion. Yet, ‘hard work’ is treated as an invisible currency that can bring us anywhere in the world if we have enough of it.
But the truth of the matter is that it’s hard to make up for talent with hard work alone. Keyword: hard—not impossible. I think the key to sustainable success in your field is to shift your mindset from trying to be better than everyone else, to trying to be a better version of yourself.
If you find yourself having improved, then that’s something to be proud of. Celebrating progress is not celebrating underachievement, and it’s due time for us to stop pretending that we’re some miracle machines that magically transform grit and hard work into better grades or a fuller wallet.
I’m not denying that hard work is needed for success, but a part of success (and happy, sustainable success at that) is appreciating what you have done for yourself.
Beating the Mountains
In the past, I didn’t think I could challenge the ‘geniuses’ ahead of me. This is because I’ve met, talked to and understood them face-to-face: the ones you truly can’t beat with just bursts of productivity are the ones who have affinity, passion and hard work.
What I did realize later on in my academic career is that they, like anyone else, can be prone to burning out and hating what they do because of one simple self-inflicted thing: that they have turned what they love into a chore.
I’ve been a victim of it myself. I used to be a writer in high school, and being forced to write soulless stories or pieces that merely served to promote the image of my school had made me despise writing.
Allowing yourself to enjoy your hobbies and treating them as genuine leisure activities rather than seeing them as mindless tasks is something you could do to honor your initial motivation for trying that hobby out in the first place. If you don’t have fun doing it, it would be difficult to get that drive to overcome and persist through the challenges that taking up your hobby will definitely have.
King of the Hill, Starts as a Hiker
The hurdle to mastery is the fear of being an amateur. Once you find something you want to get really good at, the first mental hurdle you have to jump over is seeing everyone else in the world who’s been practicing it for years before you.
This is where doing it for the pragmatic passion of things and not for instant gratification comes in. The truth that every master has to accept is that except for a very select few people, we’re all bad at most things starting out.
Something I had a lot of trouble getting into was asking people for help. The ego of the human brain often results in decisions like trying to entirely self-study programming or churning out as many paintings as you can without any proper guidance or feedback—it’s just inefficient.
Know that it is more than likely that every person who’s mastered a skill and is now a leader of their respective field has asked someone else for help. Why shouldn’t you?
A single step begins a long journey. If you don’t take that step, you could remain stuck in the same position as you began for years. Know that it’s not just about progress; it’s about finding meaning in the very challenges where you discover the satisfaction from pushing through obstacles and reaching your goals without comparing yourself to others.
Taking that step is not just about progress; it’s about finding meaning in the midst of hard work. It’s in these very challenges that you often uncover the deeper purpose, the joy in the journey, and the satisfaction that comes from pushing through obstacles and reaching your goals.