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The Key to Growth: Difficulty

The key to growth is difficulty. Video games are enjoyable because they present a challenge.
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If Life was a video game, how would you set the difficulty level? Assuming you can only select one, I’d say Medium is just right. The key to growth is difficulty… but not too much of it.

Medium difficulty allows you to challenge yourself without over-challenging yourself, sort of like spice levels at a Thai restaurant. You can tolerate Extra Spicy, but what’s the point if you can no longer enjoy or taste any of the food you’re having?

Furthermore, setting a Medium difficulty level allows you to balance challenge and fun, which then keeps you going in the long run, fueling incremental growth. Imagine if the only dumbbell available at the gym was 100 pounds. No one would use it because it’s too much for virtually any exercise. It’s too challenging. Now, imagine that the only dumbbell available was 1 pound. No one would use it because it’s too light and useless. It would be too boring. This likely explains why the 20 and 25 pound dumbbells are almost always occupied at the gym. Being in the middle makes it challenging but not overly challenging. And once you build the muscle, you then move onto the next weight range of 30 to 35 and so on, redefining what is now your new “Medium difficulty.”

The Key to Growth Is Difficulty

Applying this principle to anything you do will allow you to have fun while continuously advancing your abilities. As we improve in anything, we also tend to like it more because of the new possibilities that become available.

Take tennis, for example, a sport that many people give up on almost immediately. The moment they hit a ball out of the courts is the moment most give up. What they don’t understand is that they were doomed from the beginning because they set the difficulty level too high. Most first timers are given a racket without any proper instruction. Not knowing how to hold a racket, position oneself on the court, and swing is a recipe for disaster.

Rather, what a newcomer to tennis should do is set the difficulty to Medium. Medium for a newcomer is to learn how to hold a racket, stand 5 feet from the net – not 40 feet – and push the ball to the other side – no swings. That’s a lot already for someone who has never held a racket, but in my time teaching others how to play, this is the sweet spot. They get the ball over and build confidence in themselves, and once they get the hang of it, they take a step back, and back again, and again until they find themselves 30 and then 40 feet away, no longer afraid of hitting home runs.

Finding your Medium difficulty is crucial to helping you grow. It allows you to build self-confidence from incremental wins, and it’s a concept that can be applied to everything, from sports to school. The best part is the fun never ends, because there’s always something more to learn and overcome, a new Medium.

A chart shows that facing overly challenging tasks results in anxiety, while not facing enough challenge leads to boredom. The key to growth is difficulty—and finding just the right amount of challenge.

A Dating Decision Gone Wrong: The Time When I (Unknowingly) Set My Difficulty Level Too High

“Hey Jess, would you like to go play tennis some time?”

My famous last words. I had just started my junior year in college, and Jessica and I happened to share a few classes together. We were business majors at UC Berkeley, and from what I gathered, I heard Jessica was pretty good, even labeled “semi-pro” by some of my other peers.

She was a USTA rated 5.0 player. I had no idea what that meant, but I figured I’d be okay. After all, I had played for years with my friends; granted, we weren’t competitive and didn’t really know what we were doing, but we managed to get the balls over the net. If anything, I told myself, I could always just slice the back if all else failed.

Well, it turns out that all else did fail. And the slice, too. That failed miserably. If life was a video game, I had just gone to the final level boss battle as a Level 1 noob. Difficulty: Insanity. It was so bad that I couldn’t even get a single ball back to Jessica. Ball after ball, I dumped them into the net or worse, often into the cold concrete in front of me. Needless to say, the date didn’t go well, and I practically quit tennis for a long time.

The Key to Growth: Difficulty (But Not Too Much of It)

It wasn’t until about 5 years after graduating that I properly learned how to hit a ball. I learned that everything I did in the past was all wrong: my technique, my positioning, and certainly my slice. Humbled, I decided to hit a hard reset button and start all over.

I relearned how to play from scratch. I practiced the way I saw young children playing, playing “short court” before gradually moving back a few feet at a time. Everything was challenging but just at the right level of “challenging”. In other words, I found my Medium difficulty, and I’ve gotten better and better ever since.

Today, I’ve since taught many others how to play the sport. Like them, I felt hopeless while flailing for a tennis ball, but unlike me, they likely will never ask someone out on a first date while doing it.

State of Flow

-Dan

Need help finding the right amount of challenge to keep you growing? Our mentors at ReadyEdgeGo specialize in making customized recommendations that fit each student’s individual needs.

Ariana Lee

Senior Admissions Advisor

Q:How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

A: 12

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

A: I love hearing their stories. There's so much to discover about a person. It's very rewarding when my students get comfortable and know that I'm there for them.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: Swim, read, write, sing, enjoy nature, and play with my two crazy boys.

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

A: Do what you love, and everything else will fall into place.

Julian Hoffman

Special Programs Manager

Q:How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

A: 5

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

A: Hearing each student's unique stories, guiding them in discovering their passions, and helping find their voice!

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: I am a figure skater, world traveler, dessert aficionado, and devotee of the Pioneer Woman, the Barefoot Contessa, and Maneet Chauhan!

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

A: Work hard now -- procrastinate later!

Sarah Gooch

Essay Editor

Q:How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

A: I have five years' experience in coaching student writing, but this is my first year with ReadyEdgeGo.

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

A: I love helping students find depth and meaning in their own stories—but I also just love it when they make me laugh!

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: In theory, I enjoy painting and writing poetry, but these days I actually spend most of my free time socializing or watching movies with my husband.

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

A: Don't just focus on achieving top grades and credentials because they look good on applications, or your education will be meaningless. The numbers and awards have their place, but stay connected to your sense of curiosity, discovery, excitement, and wonder so that the content you're learning is constantly transforming you—it's something you care about, something you remember after the final exam. Work on the aspects of yourself no one can measure, like integrity, wisdom, kindness, and compassion, so that you're not only developing your academic and career potential but also investing in the type of adult you're going to be, the person you'll have to live with after you clock out every day for the rest of your life.

Doing the hard inner work of building your character and learning deeply instead of just earning grades will set you up for a satisfying, well-rounded life. Strange as it sounds, it will also put you ahead in your academic and career goals, because colleges and hiring managers aren't looking for an empty set of data on a spreadsheet; they want a fully fleshed-out person marked by passion, creativity, and a story no one else has lived.

So go on studying hard for tests, but also spend some time asking yourself what matters in life and who your role models are. Read up on topics that amaze you, and build something incredible just for fun. Cultivate that spark of joy you feel when you're immersed in a subject that fascinates you. If you can hit that balancing act of doing your homework and meeting deadlines but also investing in the kind of person you want to be, then trust that all the rest will follow: schools will recognize you as a dynamic, all-star person, and you will also build a life of happiness, close relationships, and peace.

Bernie Nguyen

Admissions Advisor

Q:How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

A: 5 years high school mentoring experience. I was heavily involved in it all throughout college and after graduating.

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

A: I love hearing about their passions and what they genuinely love to do. It also makes me extremely happy to.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: I recently picked up the electric guitar! I also have multiple aquariums, and founded a company that built body armor.

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

A: Don't go down a path just because you think that's "what you're supposed to do." Life is more diverse and unexpected than any of us could ever know.

Joanna Yang Yowler

Senior Essay Editor & Program Specialist

Q:How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

A: 15

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

A: I love hearing students' stories and seeing their faces light up when they talk about their passions and dreams.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: Cook, write, draw, save Azeroth .

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

A: Pursue dreams that matter to you and don't be afraid of forging your own path to where you want to go.

Graham Traylor

Senior Applications Advisor

Q:How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

A: 7 years

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

A: One of my favorite experiences working with students is opening student's eyes to possibilities they didn't know would be an option for them.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: In my free time I like to stay active playing sports / running, but most of the time I am hanging out with my wife and daughter (usually with college sports on in the background).

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

A: It's possible there could be several colleges that are a good fit for you. Don't lock in on just one preferred option, and work toward finding places you can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

readyedgego

Tylar Pendgraft

Director of Programs

Q: How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

A: 12

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

A: I love how open students are to learning and trying new things. As mentors, we get to see so much growth simply because our students are so open to new experiences and are looking forward to applying their learning and other skills.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: In my free time I like to read and write. I also spend a lot of time just watching--my dogs, birds, trees. I also enjoy baking and cooking (even though I'm terrible at baking).

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

A: It's never too early or late to start practicing self-care. Build moments of joy and celebration into your week. Give yourself a treat for working hard. It's important to have things to look forward to. If you can get into the habit now, you'll have a much more balanced college experience.

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Anika Sharma

Essay Editor

Q: How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

A: 2

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

A: As a major advisor for students interested in the humanities, I’ve found it immensely rewarding to offer an outlet for students to explore ideas that they often don’t get to delve into at school. Watching a student light up when they realize that there is in fact a community around their specific interests is easily the best part of the job.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: In my free time, I love to be outdoors - I've been hiking around the Bay Area and recently started biking again. I also volunteer at community gardens and trail restoration projects in San Francisco. When I'm not outside, you can find me reading visionary fiction, practicing yoga and qigong, or cooking.

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

A: My advice for high school students is to focus on the present! Use this time to learn more about yourself and the world around you. Solid values and a sense of self will allow you to make challenging decisions for the future and create the life you want.

readyedgego

Tushar Singla

Chief Technology Officer

Q: How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

A: 4

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

A: Watching them accomplish great things.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: Watch Formula 1, play ice hockey, and watch TV.

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

A: Spend time exploring different things -- you have a long time to become an expert.

readyedgego

Dan Zhou

Chief Executive Officer

Q: How many total years of experience do you have in your current role, including but not limited to ReadyEdgeGo?

A: 16

Q: What about working with students do you most enjoy?

A: Inspiring a student towards self discovery, and wanting to learn about everything there is in the world. Reaching this moment can take time, but it's what makes it worth it every time.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: Outdoors hiking, photography, gardening, and reading.

Q: What is your one piece of advice for high schoolers?

A: Do the thing that moves you, or be moved by forces not your own. The choice is yours.

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