How I Unprogrammed My Friend at 12

There once was a boy, one of my closest friends. His name was Akhilesh. He was great at Chess. He would beat me every single time.

I was surprised a guy as intelligent as him could not do good academically.

I figured that he had a self-limiting belief.

He believed that he did not have a brain like mine, so he would not even put in the effort. He was fulfilling his own prophecies.

In the winter of 2008, he had to retake a test he had missed in the fall before. Since I was free, I tutored him personally. It was a social science test. When the results came out, I was not surprised, but he was. He made a 34/40. His was one of the highest scores. And then, nothing else was needed. He had broken through his self-limiting beliefs. Within the next two years, he went from 67% to 80%+.

I remember hanging out at his place in the end of 9th grade. This was 2010. He lived in a small mud house. His father told me he had never thought that Akhilesh could someday be a good student. He congratulated me for helping him see his light.

Those were the days.