You’re Smarter Than You Think
The word intelligence is used in a variety of different ways by many people. However most of these definitions seem to be part of a larger misconception of what intelligence really is. A lack of understanding of a true meaning of the word has lead people to confuse gifted people with highly motivated people. This is due largely to the fact that most people tie together success and intelligence when the two words often don’t come hand in hand.
Have you ever taken a look at a student in your school that seems to have the best grades, and thought to yourself WOW! He/she must be intelligent? Well so do the majority of people who I believe have a common misunderstanding of the word. I strongly believe that although a person may be highly intelligent they can also be highly unmotivated. The same is true for many with below average IQ; they can be highly motivated and be just as successful as any other person is capable of being.
To be more straightforward I believe that being talented, or having an above average IQ does not mean that you’re going to be successful by any stretch of the word. As Thomas Edison once put, “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration”. This statement puts forth the idea that without motivation or a good work ethic a high IQ is meaningless. This is simply because an intelligent person many have many good ideas or be very talented but simply doesn’t care to be successful, or possibly that they are very lazy (me) and don’t want to work.
The same way an intelligent person can be lazy and unsuccessful, a person with a low IQ can be extremely motivated and become hugely successful. Once again having a good work ethic and having a drive to succeed is 99% of success. It is that 1% or possibly more for some people that contains their specific talents that will HELP them on their journey through life. Whereas an average person may lack any beneficial talents but still be massively successful if they are motivated.
There is much evidence to support that motivation is a key ingredient to the recipe of success. From a psychologists point of view this shows a potential for improving the lives of many people. If motivation has as big of an effect on a person’s stressfulness as I think it does, this leads me to believe that huge improvements can be made in our school systems in terms of teaching methods and our general philosophy as a culture. Maybe even a change in the way our culture looks at the world could increase the amount of successful adults who enjoy life. In conclusion motivation is a key factor to a person’s achievements and can help even those below average, our specific talents are just a bonus to what we are capable of.
