As thoughts swarmed my mind, I felt overwhelmed. My academic performance began to slip, with my mathematical abilities taking the hardest hit. However, amid this downfall, I discovered an unusual skill—I could absorb vast amounts of information for short periods by deconstructing complex ideas and connecting them to my personal knowledge and experiences. For example, take the definition of a computer:
"A computer is an electronic device used for storing and processing data, typically in binary form, according to instructions provided in a variable program."
Memorizing such a definition verbatim seemed daunting, but I realized I could simplify it by breaking it down into a sequence I could easily understand and recall.
A computer works in three stages:
Input: We provide a command or data.
Process: It uses its system to compute the task.
Output: It returns a result.
By focusing only on input, process, and output, I could recall the entire definition through reasoning and experience, filling in the gaps as needed. This approach made it possible for me to memorize immense amounts of information quickly.
Despite this newfound ability, I struggled to apply it meaningfully. I was fragile—lazy and complacent. I spent my days lounging around, blaming external forces for my failures. I deluded myself into thinking success, fame, wealth, and love would come to me effortlessly.
Then came my 10th-grade exams, a pivotal moment heralded as the foundation for a promising future. I knew how important it was. I told myself I would study tomorrow. I repeated that lie every day until, without warning, the exams arrived and ended before I had so much as touched a textbook.
When the results were published, I wasn't surprised to see I had failed mathematics. Yet, somehow, I scraped by in other subjects, relying on my quick-thinking abilities and practical scores to carry me across the line—just barely.
This failure was a harsh wake-up call, a mirror reflecting the consequences of my choices. My ability to learn wasn't enough if I lacked the discipline to act. Dreams of greatness are meaningless without the relentless effort required to build them. That lesson, bitter as it was, would stay with me as a reminder of the cost of laziness and the untapped potential buried beneath excuses.
---