This isn’t one of those "how I became Candidate Master in 6 months" stories.
This is what happens when you say "I’ll do it tomorrow" for 3 straight years.

I’m not red. Not purple. Hell, I’m not even consistent.

I’m just someone who started CP with big dreams — and then made every mistake possible.

If you’re stuck, lazy, unmotivated, scared, or feeling like you’re not improving...
Read this before you waste the same time I did.

Mistake #1: Practicing only when I felt motivated

I’d solve 5 problems in one random burst, feel proud… and then disappear for 10 days.
I blamed mood, college, stress, sleep.

But here’s the thing:

CP doesn’t care how you feel.
If you're not consistent, you're not improving.

Mistake #2: Clicking the editorial the second I got scared

I’d read the statement. Felt hard. Editorial. Copy-paste. Move on.
And then I told myself, "Well, at least I understood the idea."

No. I didn’t.

I skipped the thinking part — and that’s where real growth happens.
Every time you avoid the pain, you're avoiding the progress.

Mistake #3: Avoiding math like it was the plague

I told myself:
"Math is for smart kids. I’ll just get better at implementation."

And that’s how I stayed stuck.

You can’t dodge math in CP.
It’s not optional. It's the core.

Mistake #4: Spamming contests, never upsolving

My routine:
Div 2 contest → A, B → Fail at C → Rage → Wait for the next contest
Upsolve? Nope. Analyze? Nah. Just pray I magically get better next time.

Guess what?

Contests are where you test.
Upsolving is where you learn.

No upsolve = no level up.

Mistake #5: Using templates I didn’t understand

I had fancy DSU, segment tree, and binary lifting templates.
But when something broke, I stared at it like it was written in Sanskrit.

If you can’t explain your code line-by-line, you don’t own it.
You just borrowed it — and it’ll betray you under pressure.

Mistake #6: Waiting for a "perfect plan"

I kept designing pretty schedules:
"30-day roadmap to Expert!"
"Revise graphs in 7 days!"

Followed them? Not once.

Planning felt productive. But it was just procrastination wearing a tie.

What All This Did to Me:

• My rating? Flatlined.
• Confidence? Gone.
• Motivation? Dead.
• I started believing: "Maybe I’m just not built for this."
• Spent more time scrolling CF than solving problems.

And worst of all?

I lied to myself. Repeatedly. "I’m trying." — when I wasn’t.

What I’m Finally Doing (No BS)

Not perfection. Just action:

• Solving 2 problems a day. Even if they’re simple.
• Upsolving at least 1 problem after every contest.
• Writing down every WA + why it happened.
• Actually facing math — not running from it.
• Editorials only after real effort.

It’s not magical. It’s just slow, painful progress.
But this time, it’s real.

If You’re Still Reading:

You don’t need a new tutorial.
You don’t need more motivation.
You just need to stop lying to yourself.

Put in the work. Sit with the pain.
Make this the moment you change.

Final Words:

Don’t be me. Don’t waste your time.

If you're lazy, inconsistent, scared, or just tired of staying stuck — I get it.
But you can still turn it around. I'm trying. You can too.

Let’s suffer together. Let’s level up together.
But this time, for real.

—

From a guy who wasted years — but hasn’t given up yet.