How I get TOP grades WITHOUT being SMART
Summary
TLDRThis video script challenges the notion that natural intelligence is the key to academic success. The speaker, who identifies as Asian, dispels the stereotype that Asians are inherently gifted and shares personal experiences of overcoming language barriers and mediocre grades through hard work and dedication. The script emphasizes the importance of effort over innate talent, using the gym analogy to illustrate the long-term benefits of consistent practice. It encourages viewers to embrace the process of learning, develop an obsession with improvement, and leverage resilience and the compound effect to excel in their studies.
Takeaways
- π The script discusses the prevalence of 'gifted' individuals in various fields and the pressure this can create.
- π It challenges the idea that one must be naturally smart to succeed academically, emphasizing the importance of hard work over innate talent.
- πͺ The speaker shares personal experiences of struggling with language and academics, highlighting that hard work can lead to significant improvement over time.
- π The story of attending an intensive study camp in the UK is used to illustrate the power of focused, disciplined study.
- π The script explains the concept of the 'Compound Effect,' where consistent hard work can eventually surpass natural talent.
- π‘ It uses the analogy of gym-goers with good genetics versus those who work hard to demonstrate the long-term benefits of effort over natural advantage.
- π± The importance of patience and persistence is underscored, likening the process to a plant growing roots underground before sprouting above ground.
- π The speaker encourages identifying and learning from weaknesses, suggesting that recognizing one's shortcomings is a strength in itself.
- π The power of obsession in driving improvement is highlighted, suggesting that dedication and focus can overcome innate talent.
- π The script advocates for resilience, stating that the ability to handle failure and learn from it is a key component of academic success.
- π It concludes by emphasizing the universality of struggle in education and the idea that overcoming obstacles can lead to becoming the best version of oneself.
Q & A
What is the main message of the video script?
-The main message is that natural intelligence is just a head start, and hard work, practice, and resilience are more important for long-term success in academics and other areas of life.
Why does the speaker believe that being naturally smart might be a disadvantage?
-The speaker suggests that being naturally smart could be a disadvantage because it might lead to a lack of practice in developing a strong work ethic and resilience, which are crucial for overcoming challenges and achieving long-term success.
What is the 'Compound Effect' mentioned in the script?
-The 'Compound Effect' refers to the idea that consistent, small efforts over time can lead to significant results, eventually allowing those who work hard to surpass those who rely solely on natural talent.
How does the speaker describe the importance of hard work in the context of studying?
-The speaker emphasizes that hard work is essential for improving grades and academic performance, even if one does not start off as naturally smart. It involves consistent effort and the willingness to put in the work to learn and grow.
What is the role of 'obsession' in becoming successful according to the script?
-The script suggests that obsession, or being deeply dedicated and focused on a particular pursuit, can overcome talent. It implies that an individual who is obsessed with improvement is more likely to succeed than someone with natural talent but less dedication.
Why does the speaker mention the story of the caveman discovering agriculture?
-The story of the caveman is used as an analogy to illustrate the importance of patience and consistency during the initial stages of any endeavor, where results may not be immediately visible but are crucial for long-term success.
What does the speaker mean by 'resilience' in the context of the script?
-Resilience, in this context, refers to the ability to handle failure and use it as an opportunity to learn and improve. It is the capacity to bounce back from setbacks and continue working towards one's goals.
How does the speaker's experience with English illustrate the point about hard work and improvement?
-The speaker's experience shows that despite starting with a low level of English proficiency, consistent hard work and dedication led to significant improvement and eventually excelling in the subject.
What is the significance of the 'mistakes note' mentioned in the script?
-The 'mistakes note' is a tool for identifying and addressing weaknesses. By writing down and practicing areas where one makes mistakes, one can turn these weaknesses into strengths and improve academic performance.
What is the final piece of advice the speaker gives to students who feel they are not naturally smart?
-The speaker advises such students to embrace hard work, be patient through the tough transition phase, and stay consistent in their efforts. They should also recognize that everyone struggles and that overcoming these struggles can lead to becoming a better student.
Outlines
π§ Overcoming the Myth of Natural Intelligence
The speaker addresses the common perception that gifted individuals are ubiquitous, especially on social media platforms like YouTube and Instagram, where young prodigies seem to abound. They express the frustration of being compared to these 'naturally smart' individuals and the pressure to perform well academically. However, the speaker challenges this notion, sharing their personal experience as an Asian student who was not naturally gifted but managed to excel through hard work. They recount their journey of learning English from scratch and their struggles during the 11 plus exams. The speaker emphasizes that while natural talent provides a head start, it is hard work and perseverance that truly drive success. They argue that the discipline and practice of working hard are what lead to long-term achievements, using the analogy of a person with good genetics who doesn't work out compared to someone who consistently goes to the gym despite having average genetics.
π± The Power of Obsession, Consistency, and Resilience
In the second paragraph, the speaker delves into the importance of obsession, consistency, and resilience in achieving academic success. They use the analogy of the first caveman who discovered agriculture to illustrate the concept of the 'tough transition phase' where one must remain consistent and patient without immediate results. The speaker highlights the value of knowing one's weaknesses and turning them into strengths, suggesting that making mistakes and learning from them is a crucial part of the learning process. They argue that naturally smart individuals may struggle with failure because they lack the resilience built through overcoming challenges. The speaker encourages students to embrace the process of learning, to be persistent, and to use their mistakes as opportunities for growth. They conclude by reminding students that everyone finds school challenging and that overcoming these obstacles is what shapes the best version of oneself, advocating for hard work over talent in the pursuit of academic excellence.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Gifted
π‘Hard Work
π‘Talent
π‘Compound Effect
π‘Work Ethic
π‘Obsession
π‘Resilience
π‘Mistakes
π‘Studying
π‘11 Plus Exams
π‘Discipline
Highlights
The prevalence of gifted individuals online can lead to feelings of inadequacy and comparison.
The speaker refutes the belief that one must be naturally smart to excel academically.
The concept that natural intelligence is merely a head start, not a guarantee of success.
The importance of hard work over talent for long-term academic and personal growth.
The speaker's personal experience of not being naturally smart and the journey to academic success.
The story of attending an intensive study camp and the competitive environment it fostered.
The realization that talent is just a starting point and hard work is what sustains growth.
An analogy comparing natural talent to good genetics in physical fitness.
The compound effect of consistent hard work leading to overtaking those with natural talent.
The speaker's struggle with English and the hard work that led to becoming the best in secondary school.
The idea that not being naturally smart can teach valuable lessons about the necessity of hard work.
The speaker's obsession with mastering new skills and how it contributes to success.
The power of obsession over talent in achieving academic and personal goals.
The importance of persistence and the compound effect in skill development.
The story of the first caveman discovering agriculture as a metaphor for the unseen growth during hard work.
The value of resilience and learning from failure as a non-gifted individual.
The strategy of identifying and addressing weaknesses to turn them into strengths.
The encouragement to embrace the struggle and see it as a filter that leads to self-improvement.
A call to action for students to work hard, overcome obstacles, and become the best version of themselves.
Transcripts
is it just me or does it seem like
there's just gifted people everywhere
you open YouTube and you see some
8-year-olds like play
Campanella you open Instagram and you
see some computer science like pry
7-year-old that's already got into MIT
do you get frustrated so you put down
your phone just to get compared to some
random gifted Asian cousin by your
mom and it's the same with studying when
you're struggling to do your work or
like you're struggling with that Mas
question do you ever just find yourself
thinking if phon I was smarter this
would be so much easier man
it's easy to think that you're not made
for studying and that Asian in your
class would just end up beating you
anyway but you don't need to be
naturally smart to get good grades
people think I'm naturally gifted and
it's because I'm Asian that I can study
well but even as an Asian there's levels
in between Asians and I can tell you
that naturally I've never been smart I
literally came to this country without
knowing how to speak the
language I was like pretty mediocre all
the way up into like Secondary School my
grades were never that good and so in
this video I'll cover why being
naturally smart might actually be a
disadvantage the thing that beats talent
and the things you can do to get the
good grades even if you think you're not
naturally smart let me tell you a story
I remember I Was preparing for my 11
plus exams which are the set of exams
that you do to go to grammar schools in
the UK or like the better set of like
secondary schools now remember although
like we never had done tuition it was
like maybe like a month out from the
main exams they start running like these
intensive study camps and so not too far
from my house it's basically like this
kind of like mini Mansion it's like this
big house this there's a person that
runs it and basically they reform the
house into like a big like study area
and so there's like I don't know 30 40
50 like basically mostly like Korean
kids and then you go into the house and
then from like 8: until 5:00 in the
afternoon you just study P paper
questions they bring a like teachers and
then for each of like the subjects
basically math and English mainly for 11
plus you study and then you're basically
in that like group and it's like a week
long thing and I just remember there's
one teacher for maths we would do like
these papers and then on the Whiteboard
he'd write down in order your name and
what your score was in order for
everyone to see and I remember I was
just never at the top the thing you have
to realize is that natural talent and
ability is a head start start but that's
what it is it's just a head start Talent
is the natural ability for you to
perform exceptionally in a particular
field whereas hard work is what keeps
your personal and student growth alive
and thriving even if highly talented
people have a head start hard work is
more important than talent in a way that
was a good thing because although my
like Head Start was Zero that just means
I had to put in more work but that meant
I had the practice of putting the work
in and doing the hard work and let me
tell you why this is important if at the
gym there's someone with really good
genetics they've never gone to the gym
like they only go to the gym like mebe I
know like a couple of times in their
lives like we all know that one person
right they don't really go to the gym
but they just have like a really good
physique and we're all kind of jealous
of them whereas like you might have been
going to the gym but you just don't have
good genetics so even though you've been
going for like a year straight that guy
who's never gone to the gym you still
look the same as that guy the thing is
although the outcome you guys both look
the same although you've gone to the
year consistently for a year that Head
Start ends there whereas you're going to
start to overtake it right in 10 years
time because you built up the good work
ethic the discipline the patience to
know that you have to put in the work to
improve yourself even if that like guy
who just had natural good gentics and
have the good body because he doesn't
have the practice of having to put in
the work to like get the good physique
he's going to end up losing that and
that's why you always see the story of
the gifted student because he never had
to put the work into study when it comes
to the big exams where actually like he
didn't know how to study like he never
had the practice of study he ends up
failing that's because having to PR the
work and having to build up the work
ethic Etc will set you up for the long
run and that's called The Compound
Effect people that have the natural
ability will seem like they're naturally
smarter than you will seem like they
have an advantage over you and that's
because they do in that moment they have
a head stop but when you consistently
put in their work there'll be a points
that you overtake them I had to
continuously work hard with my English I
came to this country without knowing how
to speak English I don't know so
although I might have been like the
worst in like primary school I wasn't
good and I always was like below average
my gradient or like my rate of
improvement was higher because although
I started lower I had that momentum I
had that patience I had that hard work
going for me and so then by secondary
school I was the best at English that's
why starting off like not naturally
smart having bad genetics actually
teaches you more you have to put in the
work you learn the process of how to get
there and once you know that process of
how to get there you don't lose that and
you can rinse and repeat that for
everything and you get okay with that
transition phas and this leades on to
Obsession I've always been obsessed with
anything I get into whenever I start a
new video game like I remember like
vividly valerin I watch hours of tips
and tricks videos Bon I'd watch hours of
like videos about like how to do each
technique I remember I literally get my
racket and I practice like the footwork
and like the technique for like a back
hand clear in my living room I ended up
like scratching the the ceiling of my
living room and like the Mark is still
there whatever I start I get obsessed
with and the thing is Obsession beats
Talent if you're really dedicated to
becoming a better student you obsess
over it that's what wins Adam s said
obsession is going to be Talent every
time you got all the talent in the world
but are you obsessed I thought everyone
did this when they started something new
I thought like everyone would like try
to like get really good at it like
whenever binton Etc if you start it I
thought everyone would like try to get
good and be obsessed but actually that
just wasn't the case if you want to
improve you have to stick to it remember
it's The Compound Effect you won't see
the results for the first week but
getting a straight A like academic
comeback doesn't happen overnight
staying consistent and being obsessed
knowing what you have to do to get
better focusing on the action is
difficult especially when you don't see
results think about like the very very
first caveman that discovered like
agriculture imagine he bought like a pot
of soil with a seed in it to his like
clamat and he was like guys guys guys
okay from now on like I know we're
running low water I know it's drought
season but we're going to like give half
of our water to this plant every single
day like the clamat would be called him
stupid like what like bro like our
grandmother like dying off dust and you
want to use that water on a plant you
want to like throw that water away into
like the DT that makes no sense he's
going to be like guys guys trust me
trust me so on the first day they're
skeptical and they give him water and he
actually gets the water dumps it in the
soil and from what it looks like to them
he's just like dumping water into the
ground it's like what the hell they're
wasting precious water and he does that
for day two day three day four day 5 day
6 day s all do until day 14 and you
can't see anything it feels like he's
just been wasting water for 14 days and
they're ready to like just like stab him
right but on the 14th day when the
Sprout comes out and then it starts to
blossom into like a fruit you get more
water more hydration and more fruits you
can start to see like sing is growing
well Suddenly It's like oh yeah well
yeah we can water there because we can
see like there's a sprout during those
14 days that plant was just making Roots
underground that you couldn't see it was
setting up the foundation for you to
thrive and grow it's easy to do the
actions it's easy to stay consistent
once you see the results but when it
comes to studying you might have to
study for a week straight 2 3 4 5 weeks
a month two months for you to finally
start seeing results but are you willing
to go through that tough transition
phase stay consistent be patient through
that phase because that's when you're
seeing results and lastly resilience
naturally smart people tend to be unable
to handle failure and we can use that to
our advantage if you want to get good
grades without being naturally smart
knowing your weakness is actually really
valuable as a student since it's an
opportunity to turn that weakness into a
strength you can't turn a weakness into
a strength if you don't know where your
weaknesses are Superman for example
knows his into his Crypt Tonite so he
knows to stay away from it he knows like
that he has like defense mechanisms
against it right instead of cowering
away from your mistakes hiding under
like your bed because you did bad write
down where you tend to lose marks and
lose them as Josh rkin said success lies
on am Mount of mistakes each time you
act adjust and repeat you're making an
incremental improvements and that's why
as a student I think having a mistakes
note writing down the mistakes you tend
to get wrong and practicing those will
make it so that you can get good grace
even without being naturally smart
because you're just studying in a smart
way and remember every single student
finds it tough it's not just you it's
easy to think that everyone else is like
find School easy it's a breeze and
you're just the one that's like always
struggling but it's not when you're
feeling that pain everyone else is as
well and think of it as a big filter you
start the race with 100 fish but then
the first hurdle comes up you feel a
stitch in your left side how many people
are going to start continue like some
fish will like stop swimming some people
will stop like running the race right
and so 10% of the whole 100 fish get
weeded out and you you have 90% left as
you start going like you got start to
feel the cramps in your like legs or 50%
of the fish suddenly dropped out every
time you face an obstacle think of it as
this net and once you overcome it you're
just going to get better and better and
better until the best version of you is
remaining it's not just you that's
feeling the struggle it's everyone else
and so remember hard work beats Talent
beat your competition and become the
best student that you can be if you like
this video make sure to check out
student accelerator it's my community
and also Learning Hub for like-minded
ambitious students you can surround
yourself with experts me we give you
tailored help as well as you can look at
all the different courses we have so
that you can become the best student you
can be as always take action in what you
learned today and I'll see you in the
next one Raw
are
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