Oof, this is a tough question. I would have to say confidence in myself has been a long journey. I have always loved math, but when I was in middle school, I always thought I wasn't very good. This was especially because I was one of the only girls, so I felt very alone, while all the other boys would talk or work together. And because of that, during math club or math camp, I would never share my ideas or ask questions since I thought everyone would think I was stupid. During math competitions, I would apologize ahead of time because I believed I would bring the whole team down. Looking back, that was absolutely ridiculous. I realized that oftentimes, people will pretend that they know what they're talking about when they also have no clue. Everyone was just as confused as I was. I also realized that everyone starts somewhere, so it is nothing to be embarrassed about if you're not the best at something. That just means you have more room to grow, and that if you keep working hard, you'll get there some day :)
Oof, this is a tough question. I would have to say confidence in myself has been a long journey. I have always loved math, but when I was in middle school, I always thought I wasn't very good. This was especially because I was one of the only girls, so I felt very alone, while all the other boys would talk or work together. And because of that, during math club or math camp, I would never share my ideas or ask questions since I thought everyone would think I was stupid. During math competitions, I would apologize ahead of time because I believed I would bring the whole team down. Looking back, that was absolutely ridiculous. I realized that oftentimes, people will pretend that they know what they're talking about when they also have no clue. Everyone was just as confused as I was. I also realized that everyone starts somewhere, so it is nothing to be embarrassed about if you're not the best at something. That just means you have more room to grow, and that if you keep working hard, you'll get there some day :)