Too late in life I realized
I never learnt to work hard as a child
*
When I was young, I heard from everyone around me
That I was smart, and academics came naturally to me
So without making an effort I seemed to excel
It was smooth sailing in school, I was doing well
This continued into my early adulthood too
Achieving accolades in medical school was not hard to do
*
Adulting in the real world was a different ballgame
I failed repeatedly, a lack of “smartness” I began to blame
I struggled, and gave up too easily
For over a decade, that was my modus operandi
*
One day in a parenting book I read
That calling children smart is a disservice to them, instead
For the effort they put in they should be praised
Not only did this show me how my child I should raise
But it was a reminder of what I had been told
As a child- it was time to come out of that mold
*
I have learnt to put in greater effort into things at which I am bad
There are plenty of them, but at least I am glad
That I do not give up as easily as I did before
I am willing to put in an effort, and then some more
The idea of being smart had, in retrospect
All these years thwarted my progress
