The only thing that came easy to me in life was the ability to be empathic and sympathetic, which is a blessing and a curse all on its own. However, to get decent grades took above average study time, picking up a skill seemed to always take longer than others and even my speech was delayed as a child.

I know, I know. it sounds like I’m complaining—but that isn’t the point. I’m somewhat glad things take me extra time and energy, because then I know I am growing—I’m learning and progressing, and that is satisfying.

During a really late night studying for a chemistry exam, my friend who had barely studied and had just come back from having fun said, “I’m jealous of people like you.” I just looked at him, puzzled, probably looking crazy from lack of sleep and frustration from trying to understand all the packets of worksheets in front of me.

It took me a while to actually respond. He just sat there with a half smile on his face, probably just waiting for my response. I finally replied and said “Why? You get really good grades and don’t have to put in that much effort. That’s pretty nice.” He took a moment to think about his response, wanting to say it in a coherent and polite way. He finally said, “Because you work hard. You work hard to get good grades, to finish an assignment, at any given task presented to you… then there are people like me. People who will never know hard work.”

I nearly cried when he said this. It completely changed my notion of having to work above and beyond to catch up with the rest of the crowd. I felt like it was going to be a continuous, frustrating reality that I just had to get used to. However, to never know hard work seems more tragic than everything coming easy to you, because that is how the world works—it is hard, complicated work that must be done.

The person that knows hard work has the upper hand. They are better problem solvers, better strategists and overall better workers. They are analyzers and synthesizers, ready to begin focusing on the problem at hand and really dive into it with full awareness of being presented with hard, doable work.

So know that when you are frustrated that something is taking you longer than others—try to think of it this way: you’re killing two birds with one stone (just a saying, c’mon…). While you are completing the task, you are also thinking about it from multiple perspectives, figuring out what works, what doesn’t work, what is relevant, what isn’t relevant, and how satisfying hard work can be (especially when completed).