"Smart Then, Stuck Now?"

From Childhood Genius to Grown-Up Growth: Your Comeback Begins Here

You were the smart kid — what happened

Remember that kid who aced every test without trying? That was me. Fast forward a few years — and I’m Googling “how to not feel stuck” at 2 am. This isn’t a dramatic downfall. It’s just a very real journey — from coasting on talent to learning how to actually grow. If this is also you, then read this completely to get out from being stuck.

In my early days as a student, I used to ace every test easily without any problems. I used to do night study just the day before the exam and score enough to receive appreciation and go past everyone in my class.

People usually don’t see the process you’re going through.
For people, what matters the most is the result. That’s how society is.
99 out of 100 times, people forget to appreciate those who fought till the end. People aren’t ready to listen to a loser’s story — only the winner’s.
People had very high expectations of me. This led to safe gameplay.

Before you question me, be patient. I’ll explain everything.

As I grew older, I struggled to make consistent efforts and as a result, the outcome wasn’t that great.
That effortless success made me think — “If it doesn’t come easy, it isn’t for me.”
Which is honestly a terrible way to think about yourself.

This mindset stopped my growth, because I didn’t want my identity to change.

So I started avoiding challenging situations — the same ones that should’ve brought the best out of me. It led to a bad emotional side of myself.
Social interactions became more common than genuine connections.
I even hesitated to talk to people in person, even though I could talk with them for hours over chat.

In order to protect my self-image of that “smart kid,” I hid myself from feelings of inadequacy.
I tried to give a sense of superiority, but honestly, to most people, I wasn’t that at all.

This sort of mentality made me isolate myself from others, because I couldn’t connect my authentic self with them.
I started to realize this and began tearing apart that “smart kid” label given to me.

Trust me — it might be difficult at first, but you’ll definitely reach the best version of yourself.

Here are some tips I can give to become that version:

1. Get out of your comfort zone. Reconnect with people. Connections are the key.
2. Make friendships with people who have the same mindset as you.
   If you have old friendships that ruin your self-confidence or encourage bad habits — get out of that group as soon as possible.
   You can’t take everyone everywhere.
3. Adopt a growth mindset. It makes you better at things and also brings positive personal development.
4. Show your authentic self. I don’t mean express your weaknesses, I mean learn the things you’re weak at.
   People might make fun of you — but next time you see them, you’ll no longer have those weaknesses.
5. If there’s something on your mind that you’ve wanted to do or start — start it immediately.
   Once you begin, you’ll find opportunities and links related to it.
6. Create a consistent work pattern for yourself, because many times consistency beats talent. I think you get it.

To conclude — people who were “good at nothing” are lucky in a sense.
Why?
Because they had to work hard to earn every label — unlike us who got it easily.

That means they have a plan. A system. A mindset.
Something that will make them successful.

And that’s what I want all of us to adopt too.

To end this blog, I have something to tell you:

“Obsession and hard work beat talent every single time.”

Until next time,
It’s Amateur University signing off.