[gxs]

There is a cheesy quote that says genius is 1% inspiration 99% perspiration. In college, I found this to be especially true, at least in the math department. While most people would like you to believe that they breeze through the subject, getting to know people in the department (undergrad) who were very successful, I learned that, while of course mathematically inclined, the amount of effort put forth was quite astonoshing. It was astonoshing to me at least, coming from a non-competitive high school. It is not unusual for someone on any given week to study 25+ hours for a single class. This was the case for some of the smartest people I met in the program. I found 25+ hours a week turned out to just not seem like a lot to someone who was a) very interested in the subject and b) used to spending that kind of time on things. I struggled to put 10 hours a week into it and would barely pass some classes. Now that I am older I notice it a lot more. Dedication is a common thread in all stories of success. From Einstein to the kids in my grade that made it. The ability to work hard and push through obstacles is a skill. Some people realize this at a young age and seem to have it very developed by adulthood. I find more and more that being smart is necessary but nowhere sufficient for success, be it in business or academia. All things being equal, I would weigh hardwork/diligence more than intelligence.

[scythe]

There's a funny thing about dedication in that it doesn't really feel like dedication if you're interested enough in what you're doing. I can recall stealing my father's old college calculus book out of the the top cabinet when I was in third grade and reading through it at night when I was supposed to be asleep, purely out of boredom with the math we were taught at that level. By then, I barely had any concept of a variable, and yet I somehow managed to teach myself a decent portion of calculus in the next three years.

These days, I struggle to apply that level of effort to anything I'm required to do.