From quitting bad habits to pushing through your blocks and reading a book a week, this blog has helped people like you achieve more personal and professional success, one step at a time.
Subscribe for free below and see why so many have done the same.
Just make this annoying thing go away.
You get noticed for what you do, not what you think.
You may think you’re smart. You might even be right– but you should still get over yourself. What happens in the head might as well happen in a fantasy world. No one will ever give you anything unless you put it to use.
You may think you are clever. Good for you. You have the ability to pick apart people’s arguments or make snide remarks. Great! Now everyone will hate having you around. People like builders, not destroyers. Your cleverness will not open any doors.
Children who are told they are smart get lazy, while those who work hard know how to get past their blocks. You have to stop believing in yourself, and start believing in your work instead.
On the other hand, you may have the opposite problem. You may think you work too hard for too little reward. If that’s true, you’re probably working plenty– just not working smart. In that case, stop muscling through everything. Proper technique is more effective– you see this clearly in sports and martial arts. Bypassing the problem works too– like moving to another company instead of banging your head against the current management.
So you are one of two kinds. You work too hard and get nowhere, or you you work too smart but deliver little. Find out which one and adjust. Being on one side is just straight up frustrating.
†
November 2nd, 2010 at 9:54 am
I completely agree with this. My family always told me I was smart growing up but my dad always had a way to bring me back down to earth saying “you’re never too smart to screw up.” Kept things in perspective.
November 2nd, 2010 at 9:57 am
Absolutely. You need to fail in order to progress. That comes from high level opposition, not from stuff you can finish with your eyes closed. That’s the difference between the smart and the hard-working.
Also, smart is invisible. Hard-working is not.
November 2nd, 2010 at 12:00 pm
So true. I always used to be the first type. But… well… life proved me wrong :). At least, I was smart enough to “get over myself” and adjust.
November 2nd, 2010 at 12:02 pm
Me too Mike. You have to get over yourself once you see the world isn’t awed by your brilliance. ;)