Intelligence Requires Constant Work

There are a few things that we’ve based our idea of intelligence on:

• how others perceive you
• what other people told us
• saying the right thing at the right time
• having answers
• being self-confident and not admitting vulnerability
• likeability
• what we tell ourselves

What we tell ourselves defines our level of intelligence. How come? Well, it actually defines how much we allow ourselves to grow. If we expect answers and innate abilities it means we’re settling for what we achieved due to circumstances. By acknowledging ways to develop we feed into the growth mindset.

A growth mindset is not magic. It’s recognizing that we can do more than we did before. More than we did our whole life. Through discipline and work anyone can turn their interest or hobby into a powerful attribute which others will then refer to as ‘talent’. Fixed mindset cannot recognize growth, but people growing can see the difference by measuring themselves against who they used to be. Get to work. Growth starts with a shift of perspective.