Being Smart
1. Listening. There are thousands of really smart people, and the weird thing is that a surprisingly large number of the best, in whatever area, are constantly blabbing about whatever great thing they thought up. All you have to do is figure out who they are and pay attention. That's substantially easier than thinking up good ideas yourself. It requires skill at evaluation, because such people will throw off a dozen horrible ideas for every good one. That's expected. But it is easier to cultivate a careful ear than to arrange to be born a genius.
2. Persistence. 90% (or whatever) of success is showing up, and there are lots of forces aligned to make persistence pay off. Working hard and sticking with something is key. An idea has low value compared to sustained execution. This has to be balanced against adaptability and knowing when to make course corrections, of course, but that's really just another way to look at persistence: you persist despite the need for course corrections, not fighting them.
3. Planning. You can cultivate the ability to be tremendously productive by being attentive to what the most important thing is to do. It isn't always easy to plan that ahead, but it often is. Getting things done by setting intermediate goals, doing simple workable things first. Practicing. ¶ 9:32 PM
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Here are some things I've learned about being smart. All else being equal, it's good, but there are things that are more important. Whether or not being smart is genetic, these skills can largely be cultivated.
1. Listening. There are thousands of really smart people, and the weird thing is that a surprisingly large number of the best, in whatever area, are constantly blabbing about whatever great thing they thought up. All you have to do is figure out who they are and pay attention. That's substantially easier than thinking up good ideas yourself. It requires skill at evaluation, because such people will throw off a dozen horrible ideas for every good one. That's expected. But it is easier to cultivate a careful ear than to arrange to be born a genius.
2. Persistence. 90% (or whatever) of success is showing up, and there are lots of forces aligned to make persistence pay off. Working hard and sticking with something is key. An idea has low value compared to sustained execution. This has to be balanced against adaptability and knowing when to make course corrections, of course, but that's really just another way to look at persistence: you persist despite the need for course corrections, not fighting them.
3. Planning. You can cultivate the ability to be tremendously productive by being attentive to what the most important thing is to do. It isn't always easy to plan that ahead, but it often is. Getting things done by setting intermediate goals, doing simple workable things first. Practicing. ¶ 9:32 PM
