No Grit No Gain
This is a story about how I learned how to use grit to persevere through life.
dying was not enough after a while, and it became apparent in ninth grade when I was taking algebra 2. For the first time in my life, I ran head first into having difficulties in math. Suddenly a topic that came as easy as being bilingual suddenly became foreign. At the time, I was extremely frustrated. However, looking back I realize it was a blessing and not a curse. With the failure, it showed my blindside towards my ineffective study habits. As a result, I had to adapt. However, my arrogance held me back at first. As a consequence, I struggled both physically and mentally. I hit a new low. My grades began to plummet. My mind was a blur. Math was a key part of me, without it, I felt torn. I felt disappointed in myself, but more importantly I was disappointing my family. The expectations that I created for myself built up way too much pressure. It resulted in me focusing on the issue, and not how to fix it. This was all the by product of previously being stereotyped as the kid with straight “As”- even though this was far from true. I felt as if I would have disappointed my family. However, because of the unbearable pressure I felt, I learned that I must carry life out to please myself instead of doing so for others. Freshman year was a huge screwup that showed me the gap between success and failure. It also showed me where I needed to start my climb for redemption.
Starting in tenth grade, I set strict guidelines for myself. I would work my hardest and persevere through even the toughest of times, and live my life for myself and not others. It was time to use grit to prevail. Despite failing to meet my standards in ninth grade, I stayed in the advanced math program. I began putting in overtime into my studies. Went for office hours, and started to use the most powerful study tool – the internet. After discovering the labyrinth of the internet, I taught myself how to navigate through it in order to understand the problems and even to find more difficult problems to make the test feel like a breeze. I ended up crafting myself into a gritty, working machine that understood how to study properly, and how to work hard through every problem.
As a result, I ended up securing an “A” in math that year, and redeemed myself. This experience made me more modest and made me take nothing for granted. I ended up blossoming into the person I am today, and learned that success comes with hard work and perseverance, not talent and opportunity. I also learned that failure also brings forth success in many ways by finding out what works and does not work. In the end, this experience taught me that grit can be used to overcome anything.