Gratitude as Growth: Doing Your Daily 'Math Homework’

Recently, I watched Ronnie Chieng's stand-up comedy show on Netflix, where he joked about the MAGA crowd saying they love their country so much they're willing to die for it. Ronnie’s response was funny: "If you love your country so much, why don’t you do your math homework?" His point was simple yet powerful. Doing your math homework might not seem patriotic, but it enables you to become an engineer, invent something useful, build a company, and hire your fellow Americans. In the long run, doing your math homework contributes more to your country than being willing to die for it.

I’m not here to talk about politics, but Ronnie’s joke got me thinking about personal growth. It’s a reminder that big gestures often mean less than small, consistent efforts. How often do we hear about a boyfriend who goes all out for Valentine’s Day but doesn’t offer a simple thank you or help with the chores on a daily basis? Or someone who spends two hours at the gym once but won’t commit to a 15-minute walk every day, even though they’ll happily spend those two hours scrolling through social media or watching TV?

Ronnie’s “math homework” metaphor speaks to the importance of doing the hard, unglamorous tasks every day—the ones that truly make a difference over time. For me, that “math homework” has been practicing gratitude. It sounds simple, but I’ve found it surprisingly hard. Life is good, yet I’ve struggled to be consistently grateful.

In my twenties, I was always worried about the next thing—improving, achieving, reaching new goals. Looking back, I see that I was doing fine by all reasonable metrics, but I couldn’t fully appreciate it. There’s a part of me that still wonders: if I’m content with where I am, will I lose my motivation to grow? Growth often comes from wanting to be better, but if you already feel “good enough,” where’s the push to improve?

I’ve come to believe that you can be both grateful for what you have and driven to grow—it’s just a tough balance. Knowing when to show yourself love and when to push yourself harder is tricky, but it’s worth the effort. Over the past few years, I’ve been working on daily gratitude, and it’s made a difference. I still have bad days, but overall, I feel better about myself. On the growth side, I’m channeling my energy into a passion project, Tymor. It’s not about money—it’s about nourishing my creativity. And that feels pretty good.

Advice to my younger self:

Slow down and be grateful for what you have. If you can’t appreciate where you are now, you won’t feel grateful when you achieve your goals, either. Gratitude is a skill you need to practice daily—it’s your “math homework.” Don’t equate success with overworking yourself or pushing through stress and sleep deprivation. Instead, find pride in being kind to yourself and recognizing what’s already enough. You’ll grow, not because you’re chasing what you lack, but because you value what you have and still strive to build on it.