I am currently reading the introductory books of AOPS as I did not do well in high school math. I did not find the way my teacher taught math interesting becaus

I am currently reading the introductory books of AOPS as I did not do well in high school math. I did not find the way my teacher taught math interesting because it didn't connect with real-world applications. The hardest thing I face as a 21-year-old going through the middle and high school math books is accepting that I lack the foundational knowledge and setting my ego aside. My plan is to learn calculus and linear algebra as a follow-up.