EVERYBODY Can Become More Successful

by | Apr 19, 2023 | Blog, iSmartandSuccessful, Personal Development

We humans confuse the words intelligence and smartness. They are NOT THE SAME. Intelligence is what we’re born with, and is used to learn, memorize, analyze and make distinctions. Smartness is what we develop – to contextually apply one’s knowledge and intelligence in real-world situations, often working with others. Raw intelligence is often viewed as the ultimate indicator of potential success. However, raw intelligence alone is not enough to ensure success in life. Smartness, the ability to apply your intelligence effectively in various contexts, is essential for achieving success in all aspects of life. As we move farther and higher in our careers, smartness becomes more important than raw intelligence. While we leverage our intelligence in school, relying solely on academic credentials won’t ensure career progression, as I’m sure you’ve noticed around you many times. Even elite graduates experience a career plateau, as I discovered from a frustrated friend in his 50s who holds a bachelors, masters, and PhD from MIT in computer science but isn’t a manager yet. Look at the following diagram.

  1. If you think your intelligence is low, you can become more successful by increasing your smartness.
  2. If you think your intelligence is high, you can become more successful by increasing your smartness.
  3. If you think that your smartness is high, you can become more successful by further increasing your smartness.

Yes, there is no limit to increasing your smartness. Whatever you think of yourself today, you can become successful by increasing your smartness.

  1. If you are in Low Intelligence-High Smartness (lower right quadrant), you can become more successful by INCREASING YOUR SMARTNESS (there is no absolute measure of smartness, and it can be improved LIFELONG) – see upward pointing GREEN arrow in the quadrant.
  2. If you are in the High Intelligence-High Smartness (top right quadrant), you can become more successful by INCREASING YOUR SMARTNESS (there is no absolute measure of smartness, and it can be improved LIFELONG) – see upward pointing GREEN arrow in the quadrant.

There are many ways of increasing your smartness. In the coming weeks, I’ll write about the various factors and behaviors that influence your smartness – some for people who consider themselves ‘smart’ and others for everybody (including the smart ones). I’m an MIT grad who figured this out the hard way… from the University of Life, and have validated them with research and data from people who consider themselves ‘smart’ (or not) and intelligent (or not). I have unique assessments that can identify your ‘gaps’ allowing you to bridge them and increase your smartness, and thereby enabling yourself to become more successful. Message me if you want to learn more. YOU can become more successful if you focus on improving your smartness, irrespective of how intelligent you are.   #success #intelligence #smart #smartness #talent #talentdevelopment #leadership #leadershipdevelopment #MiTRamiyer