The Power of Small Wins

When you are not winning, you just have to get momentum back in small wins. – Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI

Sam Altman said that once in a lecture about Start-ups, I only discover how amazing the Small Wins are recently.

A company called me yesterday, and said that they would love to arrange me a Python coding interview. Then they’ll give a comprehensive consideration from there. It’s an online coding interview that has no deadline, no human supervisor, only problem sets and an editor. They wanted it to be done as soon as possible. I want to spend two days to review Python, then start the test.

I had another test earlier with this company, in C++, but the result wasn’t good, three questions with one left empty, one with logic mistake, and one did not complied. The score was terrible. I failed countless interviews on coding questsions in other companies, even though I have more than 500 problems solved on LeetCode (mostly Medium difficulty). To be honest, I had long lost my confidence.

But I came up with the idea last night that if I can’t prove I am a good algorithm problem solver, I can at least prove that I am a qualified Python program writer. I know Python!

I did LeetCode in Python whole day today. And the feedback was better than ever. I did some Binary Search Tree problems, Binary search, and then some Tree problems, I felt good the moment I finished the pratice. That had built me the confidence.

This feeling of confidence led me to the memory of the good old days in Omaha. I set the goal to run 5km in 40 minutes, then 38, 35, 32 , and 30 minutes. Each time I hit a new record, it was a small win. I started to wonder Isn’t that the Decrease and Conquer technique we use in solving algorithm problems? Through solving parts of a big problem, we can solve the unreachable big problem eventually. A great resolution (like join a big company, run a full marathon) is hard to achieve, but we can start from the basics. Keep the small wins of solving small problems, this will pile up the momentum. And the momentum is important in terms of countering bigger problems.

Anyways, when you are discoraged and feeling sad, slow down your pace, and find small wins to take, build up the confidence. Some people only find them in raging temper toward themselves, and set a much more larger goal to accomplish, this will only fail again in a dead loop.

I drafted this article long time ago, but I am still impressed, becaused I passed the interview and I believe in the Power of Small Wins now.