What it means to be smart?
This post is following a conversation about "what it means to be smart" I combined a few notes and thought to clarify my thinking.
Hopefully it'll help you.
A couple of ideas came up.
The first one was Alex Hormozi's take on intelligence basically saying that it's not just your raw horse power (your IQ and reasoning ability), but also your ability to adapt and change your behavior based on the feedback you're getting from the environment.
The other thing that came to mind is Darwin's Guide to Overachieving your IQ. Darwin was considered to be of "average" intellect, but was able to work through complex problems using consistency, willingness to be wrong and by being systematic.
You might be very smart, but not being kind to ppl (AKA being an asshole), is a poor long term strategy.
Humans are social creatures. We talk and about other humans with each other. It's a matter of time before being an asshole will bite you back.
Also I think it's not good for you and your inner world not to treat others with respect.
As the Dalai Lama said:
"If you want to be wisely selfish, care for others."
The strongest or "smartest" chimpanzee isn't the leader, the best chimp at forming a coalition (=relationships and aligning interests) is.
You can be successful without being the leader, but you'll still probably have better luck by being kinder to ppl.
So if you want to be smarter
- Change your behavior - Pick a behavior you don't like and focus on changing it.
- Put systems to support - Auto or create the environment to help you succeed.
- Care for others - Really care for the people around you. See them, help them, get to know them, be kind to them.
Am I right?
I have no idea, but at least I flushed out my thoughts and you can tell me where I'm wrong 🙂
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