Effort.
Make your best effort if you do it, you're going to be better.
Hardworking people receive the best and improve a lot.
You have to be the best.
But, what happens when lazy people want to use you for their convenience? You want to help but, they use you without any effort.
When people see my grades, they say that I'm smart; and I work hard but, they don't know that I don't make my best effort. I only do a bit more than the normal but not the one hundred percent; it is because in the past I work harder than now and, some people try to be close to me to obtain my answers in the practices or make me talk in each project, that was so upset. I tried not to give them the answer but helped them or explained to them how to do the exercises; however, they felt angry and didn't talk to me for some days or started rumors like: "She is selfish.", "She is arrogant.", "She is a smarty.", "She thinks that she's the smartest in the classroom." and more rumors like those. I felt sad when I heard them because I thought that they were my friends.
Sometimes when you're young, you think that everyone could be your friend but, after you realize that real friends are only a few people not, all of them.
I tried to be courteous to all of my classmates but, it was hard, so I decided not to continue talking with them, and when they asked me, I said: "I don't know the answer.", "I'm not sure."; of that way, they started to ask other people. When a teacher talked about group projects, I made a group with my classmates who were fair divide the job into equal parts; I felt more comfortable with them.
In each classroom, there is always a group or a few smarter students than the others. I was at the same level as them but, I didn't show off or try to stand out too much or even use my full potential; sometimes, I worked hard in my favorite courses or the activities that I liked the most.
High school.
That time was easy to hide my full potential.
The majority tried to be friends with them for the exercises' answers; others sought to get closer to win them.
Many wanted to be the leader.
When I was in high school, there were many groups like the smarter ones, the lazy ones, the popular ones, the unpopular ones, and others bigger who maybe like the same music, movies, etc. I was a chameleon or maybe a nomad because I was in each group for a while but, I never stayed until my senior year where I formed a quartet with my close friends. We were the quietest group so, the teachers never complained about us; we spoke in a low voice and, sometimes we learned about the rumors faster because each one was sometimes with another group any of us didn't say the stories to others apart of us.
I worked harder than before in my last two years of high school and math because I was so bad at math.
Even though I hid my potential, they still wanted to use me.
As I said, I only worked hard in the courses and activities that I liked, but some of my classmates noticed and started to ask me. I helped some of them but not those I knew that only wanted an easy and fast answer; they were the problem of my classmates who were smarter than me. Maybe it wasn't fair but, they didn't care about giving them the answers because they had a similar thought to mine, that thought was: "All their lives they will not be able to depend on someone giving them the answers easily; at some point, they will have to do it alone and, at that moment, they will regret not having accepted the explanation.", that might be a very harsh thought but, it was and is the truth; maybe some of them won't be like that all of their lives, but the others could be.
Time for an anecdote: An exam, answers, non-existent friendship.
One day, I had a language exam, and, for the exam time, the teacher changed the students' seats, and; we could only bring what was necessary for the exam.
For that exam, I had to sit with a girl who didn't like me. I was one of the best students in that course, so when she sat next to me, she started to talk to me in a friendly way like we were friends; after a few minutes, the girl said that she needed my help with the exam; I was bothered by how hypocritical she was. During the exam, she was asking me for the answers but, I only ambiguously answered her and, since I finished my exam before her, I handed it in and, when I sat down, I settled down as if I were going to sleep and I ignored her the rest of the exam.
Before, she spoke fake things of me for no reason but, now I was giving her a good reason to talk about me; I was going to see if she would admit to asking me for the answers to the exam; she didn't say anything about it and, she failed the exam. If I did not help her, it was not for revenge but because it was fair for me. Although I'm still good at that course, that wasn't easy; to be good at another language is the result of my effort and the time that I studied.
Although I didn't show all of my potentials, I still was a good student and, my grades were always higher than the average ranks. The teachers noticed my great school grades but, I wasn't as outstanding as other of my classmates so, I didn't receive the same attention or responsibilities as them; teachers also noticed me for my mature personality that they liked.
I don't mean that you people should hide the potential they have; hiding my potential and only using it sometimes was my decision and, now I work hard but not to show off but because I want to do it achieve my goals.