Hi. For sure, growing up is difficult. Not just
because life is hard, but because we have to
take ownership of it. We cannot always blame
others. At some point, how we think and respond
becomes our responsibility. I found that the
same is true in math. There came a point when
I realized I had to take ownership of how I think.
And if I had to describe that process in one
word, it would be struggle. Let's face it, most
of us do not enjoy struggle. When something is
difficult, confusing, or frustrating, we want
a quick answer. We look in the back of the book.
We want relief. And when it does not come, we
start to wonder. Maybe I'm not good at this.
Maybe this just is not for me. But it helps to
step back and see the bigger picture. When you
study something like calculus, you're stepping
into ideas that took hundreds, sometimes thousands
of years to develop. And yet, you're asked to
begin understanding them in a matter of months.
That perspective changes how I see struggle.
It is not a signal that I'm failing. It is part
of the process. Okay, I enjoy running, but for
a long time I avoided hill workouts because they
were so difficult. Then I learned how much they
improve strength and endurance. What felt like
something to avoid became something valuable.
And the same is true in math. Research shows
that our brains grow the most when we struggle,
when we make mistakes, when we wrestle with something
that does not immediately make sense. Confusion
is not a sign that your brain is not working.
It is often a sign that it is. Struggle is not
a verdict. It is training. I love this line from
the Danish poet Piet Hein. Problems worthy of
attack prove their worth by hitting back. Isn't
that beautiful? If something pushes back, it
does not mean you're incapable. It may mean the
problem is worth your effort. And over time,
something begins to change. What once felt confusing
begins to make sense. What once felt impossible
becomes familiar. And when that happens, it's
not just that you've learned something new. Something
in you has changed. The way you see, the way
you think, the way you respond to difficulty.
Growth does not come from having the answers
handed to us. It comes from discovering that
we can stay in the struggle and move through
it. Because struggle does not just solve problems,
it reshapes us. It creates new patterns, patterns
of thinking, patterns of responding, patterns
of believing what's possible. What once felt
like a fixed limitation begins to shift and confidence
starts to grow. So my question today is, where
might the struggle I'm facing Right now, be shaping
me, preparing me to see or become something different.