There are two ways to be right in life: get the story right, or get the math right. Obviously, it works to your advantage if you can get both. And, in fact, in a lot of areas of life, you’ll get nowhere if you only get one right. Sometimes you have to get both right or you’ll still be wrong.
Let me just say that I became a better mathematician by first becoming a better writer of mathematical 'stories' in the form of dissertations. I still struggle to calculate difficult equations to their end, but I am a lot more motivated to find the right answer; which outside an exam setting is really fun way to spend my time, I find. Especially nowadays with computers. I think growing up I developed the notion that mathematics was different from all other subjects. It wasn't until year 2 of a quantitative course in Uni that we started to use mathematics to tell stories and I came to really love it, stop fearing all the Greek symbols, and appreciate what it has accomplished for us so far.
Let me just say that I became a better mathematician by first becoming a better writer of mathematical 'stories' in the form of dissertations. I still struggle to calculate difficult equations to their end, but I am a lot more motivated to find the right answer; which outside an exam setting is really fun way to spend my time, I find. Especially nowadays with computers. I think growing up I developed the notion that mathematics was different from all other subjects. It wasn't until year 2 of a quantitative course in Uni that we started to use mathematics to tell stories and I came to really love it, stop fearing all the Greek symbols, and appreciate what it has accomplished for us so far.