For most kids here in Italy, summer time is a free pass for spending all morning with friends at the beach, having lunch, going home for an afternoon siesta (because everything is closed anyways), and then repeating the same beach activities in the afternoon. Note that I said most, not all. While I do love beach time and the sea, I choose to invest my time in a somewhat unusual way. So here’s what I’ve been up to this summer…

I recently took on a challenge (which, by the way, is still ongoing) to complete an entire High School Geometry course (which usually takes a whole school year) in just two months. Yes, you read me right!

I just finished Semester A, and I’m on a break before I start Semester B.

Talk about setting ambitious goals…

I consider the completion of Semester A to be my greatest achievement to date – since I have never completed an entire Semester in 22 days before. And now that I’ve done it, it seems like it wasn’t as big a challenge as I had made it out to be.

But to someone who has never done something like that before (namely myself, 26 days ago), that task can seem extremely daunting. I mean, EXTREMELY daunting.

So what is the secret to conquering such a challenge?

Well, I am still learning as I go, but here’s what I’m discovering so far. Your attitude towards the challenge is what determines whether you succeed in conquering it, or fail.

Let me illustrate with a story.

If you’re a Marvel fan, you’ll probably love the story I’m about to tell you. Even if you’re not, you’ll find it mildly pleasant at the very least ☺️

This single quote summarizes the entire process in one amazing and compact layout:

Marvel fans (you know who you are – mom☺️), you’ll probably be able to recognize who said those words, in what movie, and in what scene. Those of you that don’t, let me shed some light.

That line was said by Captain America in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” in what I call the ‘Elevator scene.’

As you might guess, Cap was in an elevator. He had had a rough day so far. The director of S.H.I.E.L.D., the organization focused on maintaining peace that Cap was a part of, had just been ‘killed’ by a mysterious assassin known as the “Winter Soldier,” and he had found out that HYDRA – the organization that was out to end S.H.I.E.L.D. and precipitate the world into chaos – had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D and was planning to launch a massive attack that would kill millions of civilians.

A few seconds after he entered the elevator, S.T.R.I.K.E. team agents that worked in S.H.I.E.L.D. – and who he had gone on a recent mission with – entered as well.

As the lift went down, more S.T.R.I.K.E. operatives, some even masquerading as businessmen, joined until Cap was surrounded, in the center of the lift, by secret HYDRA spies.

He had noticed that something was off, and – as you can guess – he had figured out why so many people got in, but none of them got out.

 So, calmly and without giving anything away, he stood firm and said, “Before we get started, does anyone want to get out?” (You know, to give any HYDRA agents that were having second thoughts a chance to get out while they still could.)

Why am I sharing this with you?

Two reasons:

1.   Captain America is my absolute favorite superhero and I love “The Winter Soldier;”
2.   This is exactly what went down with Geometry and how it needs to go down with your next big challenge.

I literally felt like Cap in the lift with the ‘agents’ of Geometry, where a major showdown was waiting to happen.

So, I looked at my challenge and said those exact words. And boy, did Geometry – like the agents in the lift – get a bad beating (case and point – I got an A+).

My advice in this post works for any challenge you might be facing – be it completing a Semester of HS Geometry in 22 days or acing another task completely unrelated to Mathematics.

And since I’m not yet done, this is the exact same tactic I’m going to use for Semester B, and I encourage you to use it for yourself henceforth as well. Regardless of what you’re facing, remember that your attitude toward it is what matters. And the person you become after overcoming that challenge will be better, braver, and more confident. In fact, future you will look back and wonder why you ever thought it was a big deal.

Such is the journey of life I think.

So, whenever you have a challenge, stand firm, calmly look it straight in the eye and ask it, “Before we get started, does anyone want to get out?” 

Thanks for reading this and if you liked this experience, I invite you to join me on this journey as we discover all that we can become by taking bold steps forward and daring to go where others won’t.

Your humble study buddy,

Ace.