The way forward is very clear.
1. On purpose
Without a mold, gold has no form.
Without a scaffold, the building cannot rise.
Without a target, the arrow strays.
The inferior man studies to pass a test;
his purpose, shallow yet clear.
The mediocre man studies for accolades;
victory is his only desire.
What nonsense!
The superior man seeks the essence,
pursuing wisdom over details.
A vision is the mold, the scaffold, the target—
that which shapes all effort.
To hold the vision is intrinsic strength;
to forget it, the root of failure.
All things cannot be mastered,
for time is short and knowledge vast.
Thus, compromises need to be made.
But what’s important?
Hold fast to the vision.
Through it, discern what must be done.
2. On iteration
Wisdom is not a gift;
intelligence is no birthright.
What men call genius is the fruit of repetition.
It is easy to seek refuge in excuses.
Yet it is simple: Consistency precedes excellence.
One must first walk the path of repetition.
The next time something seems hard,
imagine performing a hundred times.
It will come at ease.
To think deeply is fleeting;
to repeat, everlasting.
Mastery is born of the familiar,
where rules vanish into instinct.
It's not about thinking hard,
it's about internalizing.
The next time something seems hard,
do it anyway.
When the path is hard,
walk it regardless.
Get consistent with hardship.
The other side is often very close.
Before invention, lies iteration.
The pain of repetition manifest improvement,
forcing your mind to find a better way.
Don’t remember what you read?
Read again.
Don’t know how something works?
Study how others have done it.
Then, try again.
Don’t know where to start?
Assess your roots.
Stupidity is not real;
it is the shadow of ignorance.
Don’t want to keep going?
Take a deep breath and resume.
That’s what hard feels like.
No one said it was going to be easy.
Where knowledge is lacking,
resolve is the cure.
How does one overcome?
By sitting down,
and beginning anew.
Hence, frustration is the very essence of growth.
3. On the power of the will.
My mind was a leaking vessel.
How did I overcome?
By taking responsibility.
The mind obeys its master.
I said to myself, "My memory is strong,"
and so it became.
Before, it had not been trained;
of course it faltered.
Now it got trained.
I had problems doing math in the head.
So, I stopped using a calculator.
Guess what happened?
The numbers flowed;
the mind awakened.
I like the way the universe works.
With enough determination,
almost everything can be overcome.
The root of all learning is willingness.
Willingness is a tree,
its trunk, discipline.
Its fruit, the power to endure.
Suffering cannot be escaped,
but through it,
the soul learns to endure
and to thrive.
4. On the monumental insignificance of almost everything
To study for an exam is a noble task,
yet one must not forsake the greater truths of life.
What value is there in being the master of something insignificant?
It is more important to add one with one when it matters
then it is to solve the most difficult of equations.
Exams are but a mirror,
their purpose not the mastery of answers,
but the cultivation of learning.
To learn the way of learning is to hold the key to all things.
Complacency reaches those who act on despair.
When things get easy,
push hard.
