I used to think that I was pretty good at maths, but now I feel dumb most of the times. I am taking a course in multivariable calculus that deals with abstract proofs, and I have a hard time doing the assignments. The biggest problem for me is that I don't really know my problem. I feel I understand the proofs, but when I am asked to prove other things based on those proofs, I get lost and takes me a long time to come up with proofs. I've tried talking to some of my friends and asked them for ways to improve my way of learning - but none have been effective so far. I've been working quite hard for some time now (when I realized that I wasn't smart enough, and had to work hard to learn maths) and things are slightly improving. But, I guess hard work combined with some good strategies might work better. Please spare some of your time, and give me a few suggestions about how I could do better. I'd be indebted to you forever!