Asking Questions

 For me, being able to problem-solve was a path to success, and I intuitively understood that asking questions was part of problem-solving. That did not mean I wasn't smart; it meant I was smart enough to know what I didn't know, and confident enough to find out.

Answers were breadcrumbs that led to knowledge, and knowledge was my path forward. If I wanted to move ahead, I had to ask questions.

I also learned how to seek solutions by dissecting problems into manageable pieces and thinking through each disparate part. As long as I could break something down, gather information, ask questions, validate points, and test hypotheses, I didn't get overwhelmed.