Beginning of the third term in Fifth Form, we began studying in earnest for our finals; the Malaysian Certificate of Education or MCE. We were in boarding school and since we had prep every night, that made studies and revisions easier for me. Why? Well, because we had our designated genius, Weng, whom we would ask for help whenever we got stuck. Later on, he became the top student, completed his PhD and now a Professor in Physics at the university. Being delightfully helpful, he was my go-to buddy, especially when it came to Maths.
Asking Weng for help was a double-edged sword. On the one hand, he was extremely helpful and didn't disappoint in solving the problem. At the same time, it was excruciatingly frustrating having him solve a Math's problem in less than 2 minutes when I had been wrestling with it for the past hour without success. Argh!
Therein appears to be a contradiction. Math's was hard for me (because my skill level was barely at O-Levels) yet it was easy for him (because his skill level was already at graduate level then).
IS CREATING WEALTH EASY OR HARD?
Both! It's hard when you are not skilled and becomes easy when you are. The differentiator is the SKILL. Will creating wealth be easy for you? It depends on your current skill level. If you are starting off at a lower skill level, then there is more work to be done. That feels harder. However, if you are starting off at a higher skill level, then there is less work to be done. That feels easier. That is why highly successful people will tell you that it was hard in the beginning. However, it became easier and easier later on.
Photo: This photo is from a short video of Usain Bolt during training. What attracted me to the video was what he said about the training:
"Dying! I think a lot of people just, they see you running and (they say) 'This all looks so easy. You look effortless.' But before it gets to that point, it's hard. It's hard work staying. Day in, day out; sacrifice."
"The work is behind the scene. Competition is the easy part."
- Usain Bolt
There is a certain amount of work that needs to be done for you to create wealth. When you decide, commit, learn and apply one skill set at a time, it becomes easier and easier over time. Do the work and it becomes easy!
M Marzuki Mohamed
#insideoutwealth #resilience