Confidence in algebra is not something you are born with. It is something you build, brick by brick.

Brick 1: Master the Basics. Your confidence rests on your foundation. Master fractions and integers until they are effortless.

Brick 2: Start Small. Don't try to solve the hardest problems first. Start with simple, one-step equations.

Brick 3: Repetition. Do enough problems of one type that the process becomes automatic. Competence creates confidence.

Brick 4: Check Your Work. Every time you check an answer and find that it's correct, you get a small jolt of earned confidence.

Brick 5: Teach Someone Else. The ability to explain a concept to another person is the ultimate confidence booster.

Confidence is the memory of past success. Your job is to create a long chain of small, successful memories.

Don't compare yourself to others. Compare yourself to who you were yesterday. Are you better today? That's a win.

Confidence is not a feeling; it is a result. It is the result of preparation, practice, and perseverance.

Go lay the first brick today.