Being intelligent is not enough
You probably know many people who have university degrees (sometimes, even TWO degrees) yet they are not making a lot of money given the time and money they've invested in their education.
You might also know college dropouts who are making a lot of money in business.
Why is that?
My theory -- and I admit I was inspired by my intellectual teacher, Dr Edward de Bono -- is that wealth comes from the "strategic direction of intelligence."
In other words, it's not enough to be intelligent. One must be intelligent at directing one's intelligence.
An archer can have a powerful bow and really, really sharp arrows, but if he doesn't know where to aim, it's useless.
A car driver may sit behind the wheel of a powerful sports car, but if he doesn't know how to read maps and get to where he wants to go, all the turbine engines in the world cannot help him.
Similarly, wealth comes from consciously and strategically DIRECTING one's intelligence. Thinking is not enough. One must be able to DIRECT one's thinking in the right direction.
If you want to get rich, you have to think in BUSINESS ways.
If you want a romantic partner, you have to think in ROMANTIC ways.
If you want an amazing career, you have to think in ways that advance your career.
The truth is, in every important area of life, there is a body of knowledge and expertise that you can leverage to achieve the results you want.
The problem is, people mix the areas together, resulting in their using the wrong knowledge in the area they want to improve in.
They want to get rich, but get emotional. They want a romantic partner, but think like a business person calculating the pros and cons (that is, they constantly calculate the "return" or try to find a perfect "match"). They want to advance in their career, but think like consumers watching TV and shopping for the latest novelties.
In the end, knowledge or intelligence is like a sword. What matters is how skillfully you wield it. This requires a great deal of self-control and self-mastery.
Self-mastery, in my opinion, has to do with how intelligently you direct and control your intelligence in order to achieve the results you want.
You might also know college dropouts who are making a lot of money in business.
Why is that?
My theory -- and I admit I was inspired by my intellectual teacher, Dr Edward de Bono -- is that wealth comes from the "strategic direction of intelligence."
In other words, it's not enough to be intelligent. One must be intelligent at directing one's intelligence.
An archer can have a powerful bow and really, really sharp arrows, but if he doesn't know where to aim, it's useless.
A car driver may sit behind the wheel of a powerful sports car, but if he doesn't know how to read maps and get to where he wants to go, all the turbine engines in the world cannot help him.
Similarly, wealth comes from consciously and strategically DIRECTING one's intelligence. Thinking is not enough. One must be able to DIRECT one's thinking in the right direction.
If you want to get rich, you have to think in BUSINESS ways.
If you want a romantic partner, you have to think in ROMANTIC ways.
If you want an amazing career, you have to think in ways that advance your career.
The truth is, in every important area of life, there is a body of knowledge and expertise that you can leverage to achieve the results you want.
The problem is, people mix the areas together, resulting in their using the wrong knowledge in the area they want to improve in.
They want to get rich, but get emotional. They want a romantic partner, but think like a business person calculating the pros and cons (that is, they constantly calculate the "return" or try to find a perfect "match"). They want to advance in their career, but think like consumers watching TV and shopping for the latest novelties.
In the end, knowledge or intelligence is like a sword. What matters is how skillfully you wield it. This requires a great deal of self-control and self-mastery.
Self-mastery, in my opinion, has to do with how intelligently you direct and control your intelligence in order to achieve the results you want.
posted by Super Peter at 10:58 AM
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