Do you love research and/or math itself? Do you love solving problems and learning about new things and finding out how things work? If not, then I'm afraid your motivation is misdirected.

As you progress through life, you will meet many more people that are much smarter than you. I teach students who are much smarter than me and I wish I have their brain. Some colleagues/peers are simply out of this world.

However, there is a place for you. There are many research areas and countless opportunities to contribute. If it's not in math, then in other areas; there are many areas/problems waiting for new tools and perspectives. This means it is all hands on deck. The scientific community is small relative to the world's population. We are equip to generate and verify new knowledge. If not us, who else?

Go back to basics, and follow your heart and interests. Keep moving and try to stop comparing; otherwise, it's like spending too much time in an art gallery and not doing any work :)

Do you love research and/or math itself? Do you love solving problems and learning about new things and finding out how things work? If not, then I'm afraid your motivation is misdirected.

As you progress through life, you will meet many more people that are much smarter than you. I teach students who are much smarter than me and I wish I had their brain. Some colleagues/peers are simply out of this world.

However, there is a place for you. There are many research areas and countless opportunities to contribute. If it's not in math, then it's in other areas; there are many areas/problems waiting for new tools and perspectives. This means it is all hands on deck. The scientific community is small relative to the world's population. We are motivated to generate and verify new knowledge. If not us, who else?

Go back to basics, and follow your heart and interests. Keep moving and try to stop comparing; otherwise, it's like spending too much time in an art gallery and not doing any work :)