When I started graduate school, I didn’t believe that people found me smart. Sure, I was a hard worker and productive, but I could not see myself as intellectually stimulating. I could never be as interesting and thought-provoking as my professors, I thought. Uncomfortable with this self-talk, I realized that I did not need any outward change to my work habits to achieve this so-called “intelligence.” Instead, I needed to change my own mindset. I realized, too, that this would be a process, not an overnight transformation. So, I started to force myself to write and think how a courageous and confident person would write and think. Eventually, I started to internalize this and gain the belief that I was indeed just as worthy as anyone else to be in graduate school.
