As a child, teenager and early adult I used to be in the following mindset:

1. I have to know this automatically, just like that.
2. When I learned something new or found out how something worked I felt I was cheating.
3. When I achieved something I diminished, even negated the achievement: I told myself I was lucky and only the circumstances made me accomplish that. It was not my effort that caused the result.

Obviously, I was standing in my own way punching myself down whenever I „had“ to learn something new because I was not good or smart enough to know it „just like that“.

Don’t be stupid. Don’t sabotage yourself.

Also published on Medium.