I am a big fan of the working out analogy. In all cases you need to have a decent plan then execute-- basically this means showing up and putting in the work.

I am a big fan of the working out analogy. In all cases you need to have a decent plan then execute-- basically this means showing up and putting in the work. If you do it right it should be a bit painful at times. And just like working out some people will progress more rapidly than you and have an easier time at it. So what? As long as your goal isn't to 'place' at the elite level, this is irrelevant. You really just need to show up and embrace the struggle. (For elite level tasks including grad school, its a bit more involved.)