rooftop

Grind

I'm smart. I'm well above average. I'm good at a lot of different things. My grades are probably better than yours, I can probably outdo you in the gym, and I have a decent chance at becoming friends with anyone you know. I wouldn't say any of it outside of here, but I know it's true.
Upon reading that, you likely started to form an opinion of me - that I'm a cocky, egotistical, obnoxious kid who thinks he's better than everyone. You may think I'm bragging, showing off my physical and mental abilities. You'd be a little bit right. But I'm still smart. And I'm still confident. That might be bad, but it's who I am.
It bothers me when people use a lack of ability as an excuse. They say that they're unable to do things or not good at talking to people or not "naturally gifted" - as if most people are naturally gifted and they just missed out on the magic dust. We're all born weak. No one's born a superhero, they work for it. And work involves sacrifice. People get upset whenever you bring up your successes or feel good about yourself, because it makes them feel bad that they can't do what you can. Like someone who sees an olympian winning a gold medal and feels bad while they sit on their couch and watch TV. Anyone can do it, but very few actually will.
The olympian has put more hours into self-perfecting than the casual observer could hope to count. So has the singer, the fitness supermodel, the college basketball star, the mathematician, and the straight-A student. Yet everyone still calls them out for bragging when they're among the best at what they do. They say it's just "natural talent."
As anyone who's good at anything will confirm, it's rarely natural talent. It's hard work.
It's staying up late reading and learning new words. It's watching documentaries on math concepts and studying them until you start to understand them. It's learning how to talk to people until you can go out and freely be yourself. It's practicing your speech at night when everyone else is asleep because you can't stand having a weakness. It's spending hours at the gym giving it your all so that on the court or in the ring people just assume you were born with the talent. It's working on your dance routine, knowing your entire body will hate you for it. It's sitting at the piano until you're stiff and strumming away at the guitar until your fingers bleed. It's perfecting your craft. It's ethic. It's dedication. It's a vow to never not be enough ever again.
But they don't see behind the curtain, because we never let them. They don't see the blood, the sweat, the tears, the vomit. The disappointment from your family or coach. The crumpled sheets of paper building up around you in frustration. The dream being crushed over and over again. The sleepless nights and the exhaustion in the mornings, making it work because you know you have to. So don't you ever make the excuse that you're "just not good enough" or "weak," because we all started there.
And don't you ever feel bad for being good at something you're passionate about. If I worked my ass off to buy a Lamborghini, you can be damn sure I'm going to drive it around and let people know. And no, I won't be giving free rides. I made me.
You don't owe them anything. Stay humble, but stay confident. And keep chipping away.