Actually, a guy that lived down the street from me, named Sal was a cerial dream killer. He worked in the creative dept at Post. Ya know ,cuz Post cerials suk!
I think its two main reasons: 1- Your entire identity and life is built on being "smart" so you fear failing. Not only an ego and insecurity but your family friends and all your social connections. You get caught in a loop. If i try and fail, now what? As long as you do nothing there is hope in the future so you get stuck. But trying nothing ensures that you wont succes. 2- Doing absolutely nothing has worked as long as you remember. But the day it stops working it stops for good. You need to learn how to swim but your first lesson is your ship sinking.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS): Approximately 20% of new businesses fail within the first two years. About 45% fail within the first five years. Around 65% fail within the first ten years. Other sources: Some sources claim that up to 80% of businesses fail within the first five years. Would you like to play a game?
Very insightful. My main problem had been fear of toil and hard work. I couldn't stand the sensation/experience because I kept trying to find a way to "pay less for the same result" so to speak. Once I finally accepted how it feels to work hard, and that it's physically impossible to have less friction and get the same result, ironically, it started to feel different. There's still that sensation of strain during work or during particularly intensive learning sessions, but now I don't let myself get intimidated by it and accept it for what it is. It took me 2.7 years to arrive at this conclusion. It's simple but it took a while for me to truly internalise it.
omg I had the same string of thought for so many years. Only now after 2 years of not understanding why I didn't like hard work but also why my grades were never that great did I manage to accept the reality that talent and being smart can't get you through tough classes in uni and that I ought to use that talent to work efficiently (which takes a while in itself because you never worked hard on perfecting your learning skills) but never the less am very grateful of what I achieved and still trying to achieve in what may be the most critical point of my academical life.
It's strange, I know that your conclusion is correct and I believe that myself but still can't do things the way I think is right. I just am unable to work hard even though I know that is the only way? What should I do. Fear seems like what I am struggling with as he said, but still...
“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”
What did the mathematician said? "I think, therefor I am", what did the guy who watched a video made by a mathematician said? "I'm a failure, therefor I'm smart"
Math major here. People called me smart and my family think I’m smart too. But I like to think I’m just an individual trying to learn like any other people. I may not get As on my math exam but I enjoyed learning complex mathematics, solving complex mathematics. But the only problem is I’m afraid to fail but this video help me push myself next semester. THANK YOUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!
Jhon David, Afraid of failure? Did you know that mathematicians, physicists, writers, and medical scientists all have one thing in common? They've all experienced thousands of failures. Even Einstein made mistakes that other scientists proved wrong. If anyone succeeds on their first try, they're 100% an alien. Even Einstein was wrong sometimes. If someone gets it right the first time, they're probably not from around here.
Failure is part of the game. From Albert Einstein to your favorite author, every successful person has faced countless setbacks. So, don't let the fear of failure hold you back. It's a normal part of the process. .
I literally had tears watching this video... I was kept away from school until grade 9, and I never finished high school. In addition, I've got a couple of concussions over the years and had a rough period where I have used different types of drugs for about a year. Even though I always felt competent and concider myself clever, I have always felt the struggle to keep up academically with my peers all along my life. I have left my comfort, and I've worked hard to follow my dream of studying engineering and manage to get in my program, studying in my second language , 7 years after I last was in school. I'm on my 3rd semester, and I struggle a lot in interacting with teachers and students by fear of being perceived as stupid due to this feeling of being in imposter in this field. I understand well all along the course, but the fear of failure is making me experience intense stress from the finals coming up, and I seem to forget everything. Thank you for making these types of videos, especially during this stressful period. Your Udemy course also helps a lot
This is so relatable. I'm an engineering student myself, apart from all that you mentioned, seeking for opportunities, showing off skills on resume cringes me out. It's hard to sell yourself in the market. I feel so inferior all the time, yet I'm aware I'm smart, I seem to just don't try, It's like I've to be best or nothing. I have a fear of being mediocre, which I am because of this very fear which keeps me from trying.
For me, math isn't about smarts. It's about passion and persistence. It's a labor of love spanning eons. Everybody wants to be the smartest person in the room, while paradoxically, nobody wants to hang around the smartest person in the room for very long. Only in the movies. In the real world, people want to hang out with the faithful, considerate, or caring person. Don't try to BE the smartest, be the truest. It'll take you further.
Anecdotally, there seems to be a certain region in IQ where 'smarter' people freeze up on action because as you say they fear failing. To anyone reading this, strength training and individual sports where you can progress at your own pace really teaches the fact that failure is simply part of the process. It taught me that I can take more 'pure' math classes and succeed. This way of thinking really is so important when it comes to academics and making money. It is something I am so thankful that University teaches, but I really wish its pushed earlier when a person is in high school. It's depressing to think of how many people who are afraid to make a change in the world that really could be impactful.
I'm smart but I have cerebral palsy and I was convinced to thinking I can't do anything mechanical and now I'm focusing all day every day on inventing things to improve my motor skills and practice pretty much every independence tasks every chance I get now I want to go into manufacturing design and build and design orthotic braces for a living. My whole career goal involves intense physical labor and fine motor skills but its what i care about. I made a mock steering wheel by reaming a hole in a door knob and connecting it to a bracket now i practice each night. I call it intention setting but its literal too, like trying to hit a target. My best friend with cerebral palsy is getting her Phd in comp sci and she always told me to read dune when i had the chance. Apparently there's a quote about fear being the mind killer that brings total obliteration. I never liked to read much but i printed it and keep it in my phone case now. This is so right and i love this channel.
literal tears.. I stopped my studies of physics because I was afraid I was too stupid or people would judge me.. I wasn't actually dumb I was just afraid of making mistakes or not immediately understanding everything
I was pre med and I was afraid I wouldnt smart enough because I struggled in one class even though I was still doing amazing overall and it transformed into me not doing anything and then dropping out. Currently trying to figure out next steps from home. Been a couple years since I dropped out and I cant find myself
I’ve been thinking a lot about this topic lately…This video couldn’t have come at a better time! The advice you shared were exactly what I needed right now. Thank you so much ,it really resonated with me. 😊
This is why I don’t encourage those around me to glaze me when they feel like telling me i’m ‘smart’. Im not nearly as smart as they think I just got good at finding resources for solving problems. Its tempting to give into the validation seeking behavior and soak up the compliments. But the moment you internalize that you’re smart is the moment you relax your ambitions to learn and get even smarter! Theres always a bigger fish anyways so don’t let it get to your head if and when you do receive compliments. Just say thank you with grace and kindly remind them you’re just learning like anyone else is capable of
Also, instead of perfect, i think you should strive to be resilient. There's a lot of confidence that comes with resilience while the confidence that comes with perfection is very flimsy and ready to topple.
You are spot on about so many, many things in this video. I never had to make any effort in school until college. It was always mind-numbingly easy to me. When I hit calc 1, and I had a hard time grasping the concepts during the first week or two of classes, it was nearly debilitating. I felt like a failure, because I didn't immediately grasp it effortlessly like I had everything else before that. I thought maybe physics wasn't for me. Eventually, as I talked to more people about it, I came to realize that type of thing is pretty much inevitable as you go into calc and beyond. Every single person struggles at some points, no matter how intelligent. And every person has to work VERY hard at certain concepts until they get them down. Even to this day, 3rd year in undergrad, I STILL get disheartened any time I have I don't fully grasp a concept right off the bat. It's just when you lived all your life never having any difficulty at all, then suddenly for me in my 30s (when I went back to school for college), studies were hard (at least the calculus and related math subjects), it's abnormal to you. You feel like something is wrong, like you're bad at it, like you're not as good as others. I STILL have to keep reminding myself to this day that it's normal and expected. Studying is normal, taking time to fully understand something is normal. Even Einstein admitted to struggling with math at times. It happens to all of us. They key is to just keep pushing. The ones that succeed aren't always the smartest - they're the most dedicated and determined
"Gifted kid syndrome", Dr K has a lot of great videos about it. A lot about higher education is learning to put in the work: memorization is sometimes looked down upon, but it is a great area where you can see how much repetition and time invested pay off handsomely. I find thinking myself stupid sometimes help: who cares if I don't get it first try, I'll listen to it ten times more, I'll find five different explanations of the concepts until I get it, I'll take an extra year or five or ten, but I'll get there :) As a fellow older STEM undergrad, keep it up, and all the best!
Yep. Not having discipline nor to have to struggle for it will usually do that to ya. I got to witness the smartest guy in our physics class effectively bomb the final even though he had aced every test and quiz leading up to it.
Thank you for the video. I would not call myself necessarily smart, but I have worked through enough math (for a PhD in engineering with strong theoretical component), that I am, more often than not, the most mathematically informed in a room full of graduate students. However, this always comes to bite me in the back when I am hanging out with academics who have a deeper understanding of math than me. The biggest factor I attribute my failure to is my complacency. This arises from the fact that the people I work around do not really know a lot of math, so they are amazed by whatever I tend to know. However, when I hangout with the more mathematically oriented folks, I get a reality check and have a good week in terms of learning new mathematics. The reason, which helped me learn a lot of mathematics, is that people younger than me in my circle, look up to me and ask me mathematical/physics questions which bug them. And I don't really want to be that person who cannot contribute meaningfully to a mathematical discussion when the push comes to shove. Thanks a lot for reigniting that fire inside me again, to go out and learn more mathematics!
If you have internalised (as a child) that being exceptional is how you obtain love and acceptance, you will carry that with you forever - it will be part of your identity. You will then avoid anything that seriously challenges that identity - you won't want to risk of finding out that you're not as exceptional as you thought. This fear can be a reason why many smart people underachieve. Later in life you realise that other people don't care if you are smart and it's actually better to hide the fact. But even then it's still difficult to shake off the internalised sense of value that you perceive from being smart - so the fear remains. Exposing yourself to failure over and over again is a good way to overcome this. For example, play competitive Chess or Go - you'll learn that failure (losing) is not as bad as you feared - you'll also learn the difference between intelligence and skills (the latter requires domain-knowledge and repeated practice).
I resonate, however I'm going to add a bit of personal context that may be useful to some others. 38 years of undiagnosed ADHD led to a lot of fear and maladaptive coping mechanisms in me. Stimulant meds, while not for everyone, literally saved my life. I wanted to be a mathematician when I was young but could never keep it up. If doing things like practising and learning integration for the first time during an exam sounds relatable then I would suggest investigating wether you have ADHD! Since my diagnosis I've focused on reading philosophy in my spare time rather than getting back into maths but that's mostly because I feel it will be more useful to my current work. Enjoy watching The Math Sorcerer videos though 🙂
And in case anyone wonders I did pass that particular exam (first year undergrad in a country where you only start calculus in university is not 'hard' hard) but I was so shattered from abusing my limbic system (panicking releases adrenaline which is basically self medicating for ADHDers) that I just slept through the following exam which was comp sci if I remember correctly.
I knew you’d make it! Over 1 million subscribers!!! The best I ever performed was when I went into an area of study I thought I was not great at. It caused me to work harder. So this is absolutely true!
You are without a doubt the greatest source of life-ly wisdom in my life. Like a great father. I know my voice doesn't account to much but I appreciate you existing so much.
Great video. I will add that enthusiasm is important. If you start a project without sufficient enthusiasm, then when the going gets tough or tedious you may well reach a point where you think "why bother ?", and give up. I have seen some really smart people start a doctoral thesis without a lot of motivation, and never finish. So I tell my students that their thesis project has to be something that grabs their attention at the start because enthusiasm almost always wanes with time and they need to always have at least some to get through the tough times. Of course, there will always be things that you may have no enthusiasm for, but still need to be completed.
So, I was exactly like that, very competitive, always number one in all of my classes in college, in HS, but when I graduated and started working everything became so much harder. I started making a lot of mistakes. I've had a really rough time and I've had to gain a lot of resilience, and it's been very humbling. There's so much trial and error in work, in a much less structured environment. It took me around 3 years to stop having extreme anxiety related to this. I would recommend to anyone experiencing this sort of anxiety to try to keep going because you get used to it, you get better or it gets better or both 😂
That part about being hit by a crazy hard math class after not having to work hard is really true. I've always been really good at math, but had a big problem with calculus 2, despite having flown through everything else relatively easily. I was putting in 15 hours a week outside of that class alone and getting nowhere, and eventually I had to drop the class. That was last semester, but this semester I retook the class and did much, much better, since I knew what I was in for.
I really appreciate the point you made about using big words to appear smart-it’s a habit I’ve always tried to avoid because I recognize how off-putting it can be, especially when it’s done to assert superiority rather than to communicate effectively. That said, I do love language and the beauty of well-crafted sentences, and I’ve always been drawn to expanding my vocabulary through reading and listening to articulate people. For me, it’s less about trying to sound intelligent and more about celebrating the artistry of language itself. Perhaps part of this stems from my own struggles with dyslexia and a desire to fully grasp and wield language in a way that feels empowering. At the same time, I recognize the fine line between appreciating linguistic beauty and coming across as self-indulgent or pretentious. I guess this tension comes down to wanting to express myself in a way that feels authentic, without falling into the trap of using complexity for complexity’s sake. As Einstein (or someone similar) once said, ‘If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough,’ and I think that balance-clarity without losing beauty-is something I’ll always strive for.
Ty MS. Very motivating as I have all the symptoms mentioned...it never occurred to me that others are oppressed in the same way. Ps.. I just purchased a 3 pack of your courses... Beginning courses.... In college I was an English Major but I've always wanted to be good at math...I love figuring stuff out.... Chess, sodoku, etc... I'm on brilliant too... Lots of good stuff to figure out. Anyway... Great vid... You have a gift for it👍
I love your videos. I've been watching you since taking Calc 2 at city college. Im now a third year at the end of my first semester at the University of California Merced. I just want to say your videos have made a big impact on me and how I think and look at the world. I truly enjoy watching the videos you post, this video in particular hit very close to home. Thank you for everything.
1. 0:38 They are afraid to fail 2. 2:16 They are perfectionists 3. 3:30 They play too much the social role of being smart 4. 4:22 They may just have a better background 5. 7:27 They complicate things 6. 9:03 They don’t apply in practice
thank you, im at a low rn and this video helps, everyday I feel like a failure cause I can't bounce back out of the negative mindsets, I have and the amount of times I've failed I feel like it's all not worth trying anymore. I'm gonna keep trying.
I find it nothing short of divine how you just posted this, and I've always taken ur videos to heart because I feel we are similar on a personal level. I have an exam tomorrow of differentials that I have taken for the second time, and honestly all is running through my mind ( I still didnt watch the video) is how this will for sure align with my thoughts of how my current outlook on hardwork and discipline must be changed (i must catch up to reality). lets watch!
Because they are very sensitive to everything and typically have introspective personalities…it can cripple you if you let it. Habits, habits that get you used to failing and pushing yourself to your limits everyday can change this. Like going on a run and timing yourself every day. Set a realistic goal and time, and keep increasing it…eventually you won’t be able to beat and keep trying…over and over again. This helps me, as well as using music to help stimulate me and my thoughts, puts me in a much healthier head space.
I am an engineer who had to drop out of high school in the 9th grade. At 20 I enrolled in college and took remedial courses to study engineering. What I learned being a black sheep amongst my peers, is that I got through the math and physics required of me not by smarts, but by determination. I knew I was smart enough to figure it out, but foundationally I was behind, so I had to be determined. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the challenge of math, and did quite well for myself. My point here is that being determined, or rather industrious, will get you further in life than your smarts alone.
Very true. Although in the real adult world most people are not afraid of failing as much as they are of that failure making them go broke. So they settle. Settle for what is easy.
Wow the video really was important for me, i struggle a lot with putting in efforts even when i know that hardwork is the only way to get the thing done.
Greetings Sorcerer. I really enjoy your video. I think there is a relation between smart people and the impostor syndrome, you want to be smart but also you avoid some areas where you are not naturally gifted, because you are afraid of failure so people will know that you are smart enough, but failure is your ally, is your teacher, you need failure to grow and to learn. So I agreed with you, smart people fail, not because they lack the capacity, instead because they haven´t built a healthy relationship with failure, some times even equating they personal value to their grades.
I'm a total failure, regarded as smart since a very young age. My main problem was entitlement: for too long I believed things were supposed to come my way and people was going to support me just because I was (slightly) bright. I know that now and try to put the work, but now I'm behind and maybe it's too late.
Just yeasterday i was telling myself after study “that was it huh? I was just afraid of getting into”, so yeah, i got some reality shower here trought the video, thanks from chile!
There's a lot more reasons than that. Obstructions are not always internal. And who defines fail? No, we can't do whatever we want to do. And smart means oppressed by ignorance. I've never met smart people that think they are smart. There are limitations in life. This doesn't seem too smart 😊
Being smart is not enough, we are social creatures. 1. We need to have ability to communicate with other people. 2. We need to have ability to making relationship with other people. 3. We need to have ability Spiritual intelligence, Emotional Intelligence
I failed the bar exam 3 times. I never practiced, took a low- paying job instead. I am STILL paying on my law school loans at age 69 on Social Security. I consider this sad plight an ABJECT Failure. Thanks for the post.
Like, individually trying to develop a positive attitude where you trust the world etc. Is good, but it's really important to distinguish this from a more general social perspective. A lot of psychology of child raising very much about teaching the child that the world is a place you can trust and you get your needs met. Fx. IQ raises and falls in relation to how much the subject can trust its environment and therefore have space for abstract and long term thinking. But right now due to social inequality a lot of people are in environments they cannot trust. Advising someone to be more positive and relaxed is good advice on individual level long as you acknowledge that everything looks quite different at a social level and that someone is "smart" is very much based on the privilege of a safe environment.
I’m sort of a middle of the road intelligence. As a math major, I’ve had this fear that others will think I’m stupid for asking obvious questions. After taking some proof based courses, I’ve learned that it is okay to ask a stupid question if it genuinely is something you’re confused about. For a very long time in my life I was scared of people thinking I’m stupid for not clearly understanding everything, and now I’ve learned that you need to just put your ego to the side and ask for clarification. People may judge you, or be annoyed if you ask more than a couple of questions in a lecture, but just focus on what you know and understand and how you can improve. I hope this helps for anyone reading this. This lesson has helped me push all the way to my graduation this yest
I don't mind people thinking I'm stupid. I think there might be others who don't get it, but are afraid to ask. So I'm helping them, too. Also, it's valuable for the teacher to know what students may struggle with grasping. And in answering to my question, they might find new ways of clarifying difficult concepts.
I had this problem right through my twenties. When i reached my early thirties i had come to the conclusion that all this thinking was a disadvantage to me and set out to become more 'primitive', more 'stupid' ! It worked for me. It just felt better.
thanks for the video I did realized the lately that I was escaping a lot due to fear not that I am some genius or something but still I can do a lot more, I need to get out of my fear which eventually turns into procrastination.
I am afraid of learning math. Thankfully, I’m even more afraid of NOT learning math! In all sincerity, I got over my fear of math mainly by reminding myself that any of the worst possible things I could imagine would still be worth it for any of the best possible things I can imagine.
Unfortunately this is not what the education system at least in my state in Australia is setting up people to think. I do the VCE in Australia which is a two or three year course that people in Victoria, Australia take to get into universities and the problem with it is that if you fail ONE and only ONE SAC (that is what tests are called in VCE), you fail the whole class and if that class happens to be English, you fail the whole year of VCE. This is even more outrageous when you consider that it's a two or three year course and the only year that matters in the end is the final year, yet these rules still apply to these more inconsequential years as it doesn't teach people the idea that failure is okay even if like me, you have never failed . I think the education department here should see this video
@@TheMathSorcererI’m serious man I’m someone who is currently in community college and was a straight a student who was suffering from all these problems on Some level.the fear of being unable to escape my community college and get a scholarship has been killing me but this helped
Fear has killed more dreams than failure ever will.
End slavery and exploitation! 👉 The Connections (2021) [short documentary] ❤
School pretty much teaches you to be afraid of failure. If you fail a subject, you can get shamed for it. But isn’t failure needed for success, huh??
Actually, a guy that lived down the street from me, named Sal was a cerial dream killer. He worked in the creative dept at Post. Ya know ,cuz Post cerials suk!
Kellogs' RULZ!!! Now make Lucky Charms with JUST marshmellows, you jerks!!!
Hummm ....true
I think its two main reasons:
1- Your entire identity and life is built on being "smart" so you fear failing. Not only an ego and insecurity but your family friends and all your social connections. You get caught in a loop. If i try and fail, now what? As long as you do nothing there is hope in the future so you get stuck. But trying nothing ensures that you wont succes.
2- Doing absolutely nothing has worked as long as you remember. But the day it stops working it stops for good. You need to learn how to swim but your first lesson is your ship sinking.
I relate to this sm and it has caused me so much stress
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS):
Approximately 20% of new businesses fail within the first two years.
About 45% fail within the first five years.
Around 65% fail within the first ten years.
Other sources:
Some sources claim that up to 80% of businesses fail within the first five years.
Would you like to play a game?
Very insightful. My main problem had been fear of toil and hard work. I couldn't stand the sensation/experience because I kept trying to find a way to "pay less for the same result" so to speak. Once I finally accepted how it feels to work hard, and that it's physically impossible to have less friction and get the same result, ironically, it started to feel different. There's still that sensation of strain during work or during particularly intensive learning sessions, but now I don't let myself get intimidated by it and accept it for what it is.
It took me 2.7 years to arrive at this conclusion. It's simple but it took a while for me to truly internalise it.
That's awesome! That's the key right there.
Thank you for your comment. You just shorten my way to same conclusion.
Same, except it took me about 8 years. Better late than never lol
omg I had the same string of thought for so many years. Only now after 2 years of not understanding why I didn't like hard work but also why my grades were never that great did I manage to accept the reality that talent and being smart can't get you through tough classes in uni and that I ought to use that talent to work efficiently (which takes a while in itself because you never worked hard on perfecting your learning skills) but never the less am very grateful of what I achieved and still trying to achieve in what may be the most critical point of my academical life.
It's strange, I know that your conclusion is correct and I believe that myself but still can't do things the way I think is right. I just am unable to work hard even though I know that is the only way? What should I do. Fear seems like what I am struggling with as he said, but still...
“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”
“History is a constant race between invention and catastrophe. Education helps but it’s never enough. You also must run.”
It's a Dune quote
Ever since I discovered this qoute it has always been echoed through my mind when I need to do something brave
End slavery and exploitation! 👉 The Connections (2021) [short documentary] ❤
This is from Dune
Dad, I'm smart.
Yeah, probably because of your dp
Haha, Nice One...
I’m proud of you son
What did the mathematician said? "I think, therefor I am", what did the guy who watched a video made by a mathematician said? "I'm a failure, therefor I'm smart"
I'm not mad, just... disappointed 😔
Math major here. People called me smart and my family think I’m smart too. But I like to think I’m just an individual trying to learn like any other people. I may not get As on my math exam but I enjoyed learning complex mathematics, solving complex mathematics. But the only problem is I’m afraid to fail but this video help me push myself next semester. THANK YOUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!
Jhon David, Afraid of failure? Did you know that mathematicians, physicists, writers, and medical scientists all have one thing in common? They've all experienced thousands of failures. Even Einstein made mistakes that other scientists proved wrong. If anyone succeeds on their first try, they're 100% an alien.
Even Einstein was wrong sometimes. If someone gets it right the first time, they're probably not from around here.
Failure is part of the game. From Albert Einstein to your favorite author, every successful person has faced countless setbacks. So, don't let the fear of failure hold you back. It's a normal part of the process.
.
God Bless You Sir...
100% true!!..stop overthinking, stop being afraid and start taking action.
I literally had tears watching this video...
I was kept away from school until grade 9, and I never finished high school. In addition, I've got a couple of concussions over the years and had a rough period where I have used different types of drugs for about a year.
Even though I always felt competent and concider myself clever, I have always felt the struggle to keep up academically with my peers all along my life.
I have left my comfort, and I've worked hard to follow my dream of studying engineering and manage to get in my program, studying in my second language , 7 years after I last was in school.
I'm on my 3rd semester, and I struggle a lot in interacting with teachers and students by fear of being perceived as stupid due to this feeling of being in imposter in this field.
I understand well all along the course, but the fear of failure is making me experience intense stress from the finals coming up, and I seem to forget everything.
Thank you for making these types of videos, especially during this stressful period.
Your Udemy course also helps a lot
This is so relatable. I'm an engineering student myself, apart from all that you mentioned, seeking for opportunities,
showing off skills on resume cringes me out. It's hard to sell yourself in the market.
I feel so inferior all the time, yet I'm aware I'm smart, I seem to just don't try,
It's like I've to be best or nothing. I have a fear of being mediocre,
which I am because of this very fear which keeps me from trying.
Fear is the mind killer. The little death that leads total obliteration.
Where did that quote come from? Was it Frank Herbert in Dune?
Block tales logic
@@divermike8943 Yes
End slavery and exploitation! 👉 The Connections (2021) [short documentary] ❤
For me, math isn't about smarts. It's about passion and persistence. It's a labor of love spanning eons.
Everybody wants to be the smartest person in the room, while paradoxically, nobody wants to hang around the smartest person in the room for very long. Only in the movies.
In the real world, people want to hang out with the faithful, considerate, or caring person.
Don't try to BE the smartest, be the truest. It'll take you further.
I argue that one need not to stop being afraid. They just need to act in spite of the fear.
fax, fear can be used a fuel
That's courage
Anecdotally, there seems to be a certain region in IQ where 'smarter' people freeze up on action because as you say they fear failing. To anyone reading this, strength training and individual sports where you can progress at your own pace really teaches the fact that failure is simply part of the process. It taught me that I can take more 'pure' math classes and succeed. This way of thinking really is so important when it comes to academics and making money. It is something I am so thankful that University teaches, but I really wish its pushed earlier when a person is in high school. It's depressing to think of how many people who are afraid to make a change in the world that really could be impactful.
I'm smart but I have cerebral palsy and I was convinced to thinking I can't do anything mechanical and now I'm focusing all day every day on inventing things to improve my motor skills and practice pretty much every independence tasks every chance I get now I want to go into manufacturing design and build and design orthotic braces for a living. My whole career goal involves intense physical labor and fine motor skills but its what i care about. I made a mock steering wheel by reaming a hole in a door knob and connecting it to a bracket now i practice each night. I call it intention setting but its literal too, like trying to hit a target. My best friend with cerebral palsy is getting her Phd in comp sci and she always told me to read dune when i had the chance. Apparently there's a quote about fear being the mind killer that brings total obliteration. I never liked to read much but i printed it and keep it in my phone case now. This is so right and i love this channel.
I have that perfectionist streak that makes me procrastinate
Time to let that go, I got it too
Do you guys also not ask teachers for help even if you need
Yea lowkey I do that. If i am at my absolute limit of knowledge then I go ask for help
@@Krousant same i hate that i do that but no matter what i keep doing it
Yeah. And we became avoid to start doing something because we are afraid to be not able to complete it as perfect as we want.
Our fear is really big, strong enemy of each of us. Tnx
@@alexyakymovskyy255 indeed
literal tears.. I stopped my studies of physics because I was afraid I was too stupid or people would judge me.. I wasn't actually dumb I was just afraid of making mistakes or not immediately understanding everything
I was pre med and I was afraid I wouldnt smart enough because I struggled in one class even though I was still doing amazing overall and it transformed into me not doing anything and then dropping out. Currently trying to figure out next steps from home. Been a couple years since I dropped out and I cant find myself
I’ve been thinking a lot about this topic lately…This video couldn’t have come at a better time! The advice you shared were exactly what I needed right now. Thank you so much ,it really resonated with me. 😊
You are very welcome!
This is why I don’t encourage those around me to glaze me when they feel like telling me i’m ‘smart’. Im not nearly as smart as they think I just got good at finding resources for solving problems. Its tempting to give into the validation seeking behavior and soak up the compliments. But the moment you internalize that you’re smart is the moment you relax your ambitions to learn and get even smarter! Theres always a bigger fish anyways so don’t let it get to your head if and when you do receive compliments. Just say thank you with grace and kindly remind them you’re just learning like anyone else is capable of
You have a beautiful mind
Also, instead of perfect, i think you should strive to be resilient. There's a lot of confidence that comes with resilience while the confidence that comes with perfection is very flimsy and ready to topple.
You are spot on about so many, many things in this video. I never had to make any effort in school until college. It was always mind-numbingly easy to me. When I hit calc 1, and I had a hard time grasping the concepts during the first week or two of classes, it was nearly debilitating. I felt like a failure, because I didn't immediately grasp it effortlessly like I had everything else before that. I thought maybe physics wasn't for me. Eventually, as I talked to more people about it, I came to realize that type of thing is pretty much inevitable as you go into calc and beyond. Every single person struggles at some points, no matter how intelligent. And every person has to work VERY hard at certain concepts until they get them down.
Even to this day, 3rd year in undergrad, I STILL get disheartened any time I have I don't fully grasp a concept right off the bat. It's just when you lived all your life never having any difficulty at all, then suddenly for me in my 30s (when I went back to school for college), studies were hard (at least the calculus and related math subjects), it's abnormal to you. You feel like something is wrong, like you're bad at it, like you're not as good as others.
I STILL have to keep reminding myself to this day that it's normal and expected. Studying is normal, taking time to fully understand something is normal. Even Einstein admitted to struggling with math at times. It happens to all of us. They key is to just keep pushing. The ones that succeed aren't always the smartest - they're the most dedicated and determined
"Gifted kid syndrome", Dr K has a lot of great videos about it. A lot about higher education is learning to put in the work: memorization is sometimes looked down upon, but it is a great area where you can see how much repetition and time invested pay off handsomely.
I find thinking myself stupid sometimes help: who cares if I don't get it first try, I'll listen to it ten times more, I'll find five different explanations of the concepts until I get it, I'll take an extra year or five or ten, but I'll get there :)
As a fellow older STEM undergrad, keep it up, and all the best!
I don't know if it's off topic ,but alot of people fail because of being perfectionist and perfectionism is the enemy of progress.
%100 true
I can tell you didn't watch the video, because it's discussed before the second minute mark
My exams are just around the corner and I get really motivated by your videos. Thank you!
Because they get cocky and underestimate the situation
Yep.
Not having discipline nor to have to struggle for it will usually do that to ya.
I got to witness the smartest guy in our physics class effectively bomb the final even though he had aced every test and quiz leading up to it.
Thank you for the video. I would not call myself necessarily smart, but I have worked through enough math (for a PhD in engineering with strong theoretical component), that I am, more often than not, the most mathematically informed in a room full of graduate students. However, this always comes to bite me in the back when I am hanging out with academics who have a deeper understanding of math than me. The biggest factor I attribute my failure to is my complacency. This arises from the fact that the people I work around do not really know a lot of math, so they are amazed by whatever I tend to know. However, when I hangout with the more mathematically oriented folks, I get a reality check and have a good week in terms of learning new mathematics.
The reason, which helped me learn a lot of mathematics, is that people younger than me in my circle, look up to me and ask me mathematical/physics questions which bug them. And I don't really want to be that person who cannot contribute meaningfully to a mathematical discussion when the push comes to shove. Thanks a lot for reigniting that fire inside me again, to go out and learn more mathematics!
One shouldn't fear but fear itself
Lol ok JFK
We have nothing to fear but FEMA itself
@@altekamerad make sure to calculate F=MA so you won't have to involve FEMA lol 😂
So guilty of this😢😢😢 Fear has it's place but to achieve anything beyond your comfort zone it just cripples you. Great video 👍
If you have internalised (as a child) that being exceptional is how you obtain love and acceptance, you will carry that with you forever - it will be part of your identity. You will then avoid anything that seriously challenges that identity - you won't want to risk of finding out that you're not as exceptional as you thought. This fear can be a reason why many smart people underachieve. Later in life you realise that other people don't care if you are smart and it's actually better to hide the fact. But even then it's still difficult to shake off the internalised sense of value that you perceive from being smart - so the fear remains. Exposing yourself to failure over and over again is a good way to overcome this. For example, play competitive Chess or Go - you'll learn that failure (losing) is not as bad as you feared - you'll also learn the difference between intelligence and skills (the latter requires domain-knowledge and repeated practice).
I resonate, however I'm going to add a bit of personal context that may be useful to some others. 38 years of undiagnosed ADHD led to a lot of fear and maladaptive coping mechanisms in me. Stimulant meds, while not for everyone, literally saved my life. I wanted to be a mathematician when I was young but could never keep it up. If doing things like practising and learning integration for the first time during an exam sounds relatable then I would suggest investigating wether you have ADHD! Since my diagnosis I've focused on reading philosophy in my spare time rather than getting back into maths but that's mostly because I feel it will be more useful to my current work. Enjoy watching The Math Sorcerer videos though 🙂
Probably needless to mention but I didn't make it through university and actually tried to do undergrad twice, 10 years apart!
And in case anyone wonders I did pass that particular exam (first year undergrad in a country where you only start calculus in university is not 'hard' hard) but I was so shattered from abusing my limbic system (panicking releases adrenaline which is basically self medicating for ADHDers) that I just slept through the following exam which was comp sci if I remember correctly.
discipline beats intelligence
I knew you’d make it! Over 1 million subscribers!!!
The best I ever performed was when I went into an area of study I thought I was not great at. It caused me to work harder.
So this is absolutely true!
You are without a doubt the greatest source of life-ly wisdom in my life. Like a great father. I know my voice doesn't account to much but I appreciate you existing so much.
Great video. I will add that enthusiasm is important. If you start a project without sufficient enthusiasm, then when the going gets tough or tedious you may well reach a point where you think "why bother ?", and give up. I have seen some really smart people start a doctoral thesis without a lot of motivation, and never finish. So I tell my students that their thesis project has to be something that grabs their attention at the start because enthusiasm almost always wanes with time and they need to always have at least some to get through the tough times.
Of course, there will always be things that you may have no enthusiasm for, but still need to be completed.
Great pep talk and in time for final exams. Thank you!
So, I was exactly like that, very competitive, always number one in all of my classes in college, in HS, but when I graduated and started working everything became so much harder. I started making a lot of mistakes. I've had a really rough time and I've had to gain a lot of resilience, and it's been very humbling. There's so much trial and error in work, in a much less structured environment. It took me around 3 years to stop having extreme anxiety related to this. I would recommend to anyone experiencing this sort of anxiety to try to keep going because you get used to it, you get better or it gets better or both 😂
did you work in high school or college?
@@exposedthat I worked as a tutor and later worked in a wet lab. I always made work #2, never put much importance on it
thank you for the advice, I am at a place where I really needed it.
❤❤❤
Same.
That part about being hit by a crazy hard math class after not having to work hard is really true. I've always been really good at math, but had a big problem with calculus 2, despite having flown through everything else relatively easily. I was putting in 15 hours a week outside of that class alone and getting nowhere, and eventually I had to drop the class. That was last semester, but this semester I retook the class and did much, much better, since I knew what I was in for.
I'm a Postgraduate Physics student and I have a Quantum Mechanics exam tomorrow.
I like to watch your videos when I need a motivation boost
Beautifully articulated, and it’s true.. every point here is true.. and that “knowledge-action” gap is a precise observation.
5.20 is pure GOLD... It's worth reading "mindset" from C.Dweck.
Thank you math sorcerer. Your tips on studying math problems helped me. Now, I am License Electronics Engineer already.
I really appreciate the point you made about using big words to appear smart-it’s a habit I’ve always tried to avoid because I recognize how off-putting it can be, especially when it’s done to assert superiority rather than to communicate effectively. That said, I do love language and the beauty of well-crafted sentences, and I’ve always been drawn to expanding my vocabulary through reading and listening to articulate people.
For me, it’s less about trying to sound intelligent and more about celebrating the artistry of language itself. Perhaps part of this stems from my own struggles with dyslexia and a desire to fully grasp and wield language in a way that feels empowering. At the same time, I recognize the fine line between appreciating linguistic beauty and coming across as self-indulgent or pretentious.
I guess this tension comes down to wanting to express myself in a way that feels authentic, without falling into the trap of using complexity for complexity’s sake. As Einstein (or someone similar) once said, ‘If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough,’ and I think that balance-clarity without losing beauty-is something I’ll always strive for.
Too long didn’t read 😅
Ty MS. Very motivating as I have all the symptoms mentioned...it never occurred to me that others are oppressed in the same way. Ps.. I just purchased a 3 pack of your courses... Beginning courses.... In college I was an English Major but I've always wanted to be good at math...I love figuring stuff out.... Chess, sodoku, etc... I'm on brilliant too... Lots of good stuff to figure out. Anyway... Great vid... You have a gift for it👍
Thanks for the inspiring message, professor, Im right now learning JavaScript and Im on the process. 😊
I love your videos. I've been watching you since taking Calc 2 at city college. Im now a third year at the end of my first semester at the University of California Merced. I just want to say your videos have made a big impact on me and how I think and look at the world. I truly enjoy watching the videos you post, this video in particular hit very close to home. Thank you for everything.
1. 0:38 They are afraid to fail
2. 2:16 They are perfectionists
3. 3:30 They play too much the social role of being smart
4. 4:22 They may just have a better background
5. 7:27 They complicate things
6. 9:03 They don’t apply in practice
thank you, im at a low rn and this video helps, everyday I feel like a failure cause I can't bounce back out of the negative mindsets, I have and the amount of times I've failed I feel like it's all not worth trying anymore. I'm gonna keep trying.
I find it nothing short of divine how you just posted this, and I've always taken ur videos to heart because I feel we are similar on a personal level. I have an exam tomorrow of differentials that I have taken for the second time, and honestly all is running through my mind ( I still didnt watch the video) is how this will for sure align with my thoughts of how my current outlook on hardwork and discipline must be changed (i must catch up to reality). lets watch!
8:48 Similarly, "Luck favors the prepared" is a quote I like.
Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for the advice❤
Some of the best advice out there. Thank you.
Thank you:)
@@TheMathSorcerer do you still do the "email advice" thing?
Because they are very sensitive to everything and typically have introspective personalities…it can cripple you if you let it.
Habits, habits that get you used to failing and pushing yourself to your limits everyday can change this.
Like going on a run and timing yourself every day. Set a realistic goal and time, and keep increasing it…eventually you won’t be able to beat and keep trying…over and over again.
This helps me, as well as using music to help stimulate me and my thoughts, puts me in a much healthier head space.
Thanks alot this enslired me to face my fears and conquer myself a little bit more today step by step
Everyone needs this advice tbh
I agree it’s fear. Another would be overcomplicating simple solutions.
I am an engineer who had to drop out of high school in the 9th grade. At 20 I enrolled in college and took remedial courses to study engineering. What I learned being a black sheep amongst my peers, is that I got through the math and physics required of me not by smarts, but by determination. I knew I was smart enough to figure it out, but foundationally I was behind, so I had to be determined. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the challenge of math, and did quite well for myself. My point here is that being determined, or rather industrious, will get you further in life than your smarts alone.
This came to me at the perfect time. Thank you
cause they overthink
This video is very positive thank you!
Thank you !!
Thank you so much Professor. I realized that I was afraid. I’m going to crush my goals.
Very true. Although in the real adult world most people are not afraid of failing as much as they are of that failure making them go broke. So they settle. Settle for what is easy.
Wow the video really was important for me, i struggle a lot with putting in efforts even when i know that hardwork is the only way to get the thing done.
Thank you for this video. Its very insightful and inspiring. ❤
FEAR: Face Everything And Rise or Forget Everything And Run the choice is always yours beautiful people...
Love that!!!!!!!!!!
Started watching for the math, stayed for the amazing motivational lectures.
Beautiful advice. Thank you!
Great advices! Thanks master
You just opened my eyes thank you ❤
Greetings Sorcerer. I really enjoy your video. I think there is a relation between smart people and the impostor syndrome, you want to be smart but also you avoid some areas where you are not naturally gifted, because you are afraid of failure so people will know that you are smart enough, but failure is your ally, is your teacher, you need failure to grow and to learn. So I agreed with you, smart people fail, not because they lack the capacity, instead because they haven´t built a healthy relationship with failure, some times even equating they personal value to their grades.
This comment was a therapy session I am not even kidding. I wish I could thank you with more than words. Thank you
"stand proud, you are smart"
I'm a total failure, regarded as smart since a very young age. My main problem was entitlement: for too long I believed things were supposed to come my way and people was going to support me just because I was (slightly) bright. I know that now and try to put the work, but now I'm behind and maybe it's too late.
Just yeasterday i was telling myself after study “that was it huh? I was just afraid of getting into”, so yeah, i got some reality shower here trought the video, thanks from chile!
we call that "paralysis by analysis"
yes!
I think I try to act smart. I needed to hear this. Thanks.
Thank you, I really appreciate this
Great outlook for life!
The worst thing is when fear of FAILURE is defined. In my case it is the FEAR OF BURNOUT, which may not be recoverable.
indeed , thanks for the video proffessor , hope u can help us with analysis 1 course really soon
Gracias dear Maestro! Blessings from Spain
I don’t fear failure, I fear that I will succeed….
openheimr
There's a lot more reasons than that. Obstructions are not always internal. And who defines fail? No, we can't do whatever we want to do. And smart means oppressed by ignorance. I've never met smart people that think they are smart. There are limitations in life. This doesn't seem too smart 😊
Thank you Newton. I needed that.
Being smart is not enough, we are social creatures.
1. We need to have ability to communicate with other people.
2. We need to have ability to making relationship with other people.
3. We need to have ability Spiritual intelligence, Emotional Intelligence
I failed the bar exam 3 times. I never practiced, took a low- paying job instead. I am STILL paying on my law school loans at age 69 on Social Security. I consider this sad plight an ABJECT Failure.
Thanks for the post.
“History is a constant race between invention and catastrophe. Education helps but it’s never enough. You also must run.” frank Herbert
Like, individually trying to develop a positive attitude where you trust the world etc. Is good, but it's really important to distinguish this from a more general social perspective. A lot of psychology of child raising very much about teaching the child that the world is a place you can trust and you get your needs met. Fx. IQ raises and falls in relation to how much the subject can trust its environment and therefore have space for abstract and long term thinking. But right now due to social inequality a lot of people are in environments they cannot trust. Advising someone to be more positive and relaxed is good advice on individual level long as you acknowledge that everything looks quite different at a social level and that someone is "smart" is very much based on the privilege of a safe environment.
You just described my college life. Going from school to college it felt like I just got nerfed hard
I’m sort of a middle of the road intelligence. As a math major, I’ve had this fear that others will think I’m stupid for asking obvious questions. After taking some proof based courses, I’ve learned that it is okay to ask a stupid question if it genuinely is something you’re confused about. For a very long time in my life I was scared of people thinking I’m stupid for not clearly understanding everything, and now I’ve learned that you need to just put your ego to the side and ask for clarification. People may judge you, or be annoyed if you ask more than a couple of questions in a lecture, but just focus on what you know and understand and how you can improve. I hope this helps for anyone reading this. This lesson has helped me push all the way to my graduation this yest
Year*
I don't mind people thinking I'm stupid. I think there might be others who don't get it, but are afraid to ask. So I'm helping them, too. Also, it's valuable for the teacher to know what students may struggle with grasping. And in answering to my question, they might find new ways of clarifying difficult concepts.
I had this problem right through my twenties. When i reached my early thirties i had come to the conclusion that all this thinking was a disadvantage to me and set out to become more 'primitive', more 'stupid' ! It worked for me. It just felt better.
Stop being afraid you can do it!
Smart people don’t fail. Thank you for your 10 minute video.
thanks for the video I did realized the lately that I was escaping a lot due to fear not that I am some genius or something but still I can do a lot more, I need to get out of my fear which eventually turns into procrastination.
In regards to perfectionism, in China they have a saying "He who knows that enough is enough, will always have enough". 😂
I am afraid of learning math. Thankfully, I’m even more afraid of NOT learning math!
In all sincerity, I got over my fear of math mainly by reminding myself that any of the worst possible things I could imagine would still be worth it for any of the best possible things I can imagine.
excellent advice! Thanks!
Thank You.
I think the biggest reason is that we think to much and lose time!
Unfortunately this is not what the education system at least in my state in Australia is setting up people to think. I do the VCE in Australia which is a two or three year course that people in Victoria, Australia take to get into universities and the problem with it is that if you fail ONE and only ONE SAC (that is what tests are called in VCE), you fail the whole class and if that class happens to be English, you fail the whole year of VCE. This is even more outrageous when you consider that it's a two or three year course and the only year that matters in the end is the final year, yet these rules still apply to these more inconsequential years as it doesn't teach people the idea that failure is okay even if like me, you have never failed . I think the education department here should see this video
Pretty much. Book smart loses to actual experience learned thru failure.
This is a amazing video please make more like this!
Thank you so much!!
@@TheMathSorcererI’m serious man I’m someone who is currently in community college and was a straight a student who was suffering from all these problems on Some level.the fear of being unable to escape my community college and get a scholarship has been killing me but this helped
intelligence or being smart is a potential. it isn't a guarantee