Pose the question differently and ask yourself these three questions:
A one-size-fits-all approach to brain power assumes that character, attitudes, and behaviours are prearranged and carved in stone; that we cannot change qualities, intelligence, or creative ability. The fact is we are multifaceted beings who continually exercise the power of our brains and have the capacity for learning and accomplishment that does not automatically follow a blueprint.
Intelligence is not fixed. You can do hard things! Basic qualities, attitudes, intelligence and abilities are things you can continue to cultivate through your willingness to keep on learning and be fascinated by emerging challenges and experiences. You can get smarter, better, or more skilled at something through sustained effort,
With a more thorough understanding of all the ways you are smart you can think of yourself in different ways, and be more willing to explore other strategies or skills or that help you become smarter or work smarter.
So let's do that.
You prove to yourself everyday how capable you are to expand learning in new and diverse directions by choice. Think of the progression of your proficiencies since you learned to read or use a computer as two examples. Look what you can accomplish today as a result of your desire and willingness to advance abilities in just those two areas and employ that learning in other fields of interest.
You recognize when making the most of your prominent strengths has benefited you. It makes sense that building up weaker strengths would improve your life. Even if you are seriously motivated, enjoy what you do, and turnout stellar performances, there must be gaps in your skill-sets or things that would like to advance, change or pursue in your life. Everything you learn is an asset, a strength that adds to your list of the ways you are smart.
When you observe young children you see them as curious, full of energy, and eager to explore their world. Indeed, they are learning machines. Age should not alter one’s enthusiasm for learning. Every day you can do something to enhance your best strengths and boost those that have been underdeveloped.
What choices can you make to become smarter? You identify underdeveloped strengths in much the same way as you would list a repertoire of your developed strengths:
Once you have a documented list of the strengths that you would like to develop, prioritize the list, and devise a strategy for enhancing those strengths that you deem most important to improve. Strengths and skills can be grouped to meet specific goals. For example, it would be a huge challenge to tackle a career as an architect without the basics of mathematics, engineering, art, building and construction. Therefore, your background knowledge and experiences must be taken into consideration when choosing which combination of strengths are a priority and in what order they could be undertaken.
Everything you Learn Makes you Smarter
We all have differently learning and thinking styles strengths that we use for how we perceive, absorb, process, interpret, categorize, retain, and communicate information. Customized or individualized learning that caters to your preferences or strengths is not always possible. You will eventually face a less than ideal situation where the learning experience conflicts with your preferred strengths and routine of learning. If how you learn shapes what you know and what you can do, then you will have better learning outcomes if you work on adapting and developing your learning weaknesses into strengths to meet any challenge. It is never too late to develop any of your intelligences, your thinking style and learning preferences. The strengths that you enhance or build upon will make you smarter in new ways.
While some strengths evolve unconsciously, we all know there no limit on how far or how quickly we are capable of advancing to become more deliberately astute, scholarly, logical, dexterous, authoritative, or expert in any or all things we decide to emphasize.
Explore Learning Strength, Thinking Strength, and Your Eight Intelligences
Your brain is extraordinarily vigilant and diligent, synchronizing and directing an intimate, complex network of processes that keeps you alive and your synapses firing. It is in command of everything that is interesting about you: your memories, dreams, passions, thoughts, experiences, imagination, personality, and learning. You should care for your brain in much the same way that you might work out in the gym to keep your body fit or take your vehicle in for a tune-up. Keeping your body healthy, nourished and exercised is important to insure your brain stays mentally alert and fit, prepared for amazing feats of learning, discovery, and being smart. Practice callisthenics for the mind, utilize all your senses to stretch the boundaries of experience, and challenge your brain in unexpected ways.
Your smartness may be masked behind underdeveloped abilities. You probably recognize when making the most of your prominent strengths has benefited you. It makes sense that building up the weaker abilities would add to your smartness and give you an edge when you need it most.
When we observe young children we see them as curious, full of energy, and eager to explore their world. Indeed, they are learning machines. Your age should not alter your enthusiasm for learning, and it is never too late to awaken another part of your mind to develop your intelligence and enhance your best strengths as well as boost any underdeveloped strengths.
How do you know which underdevelope strengths need attention? You can pinpoint those in much the same way as you identify your developed strengths:
Let’s explore some common areas that may be masking your smartness.
Just as our advancing your strengths can make you smarter, how and to what you focus your attention and energy makes you smarter. Learning and use of time can be a tricky thing. You hear or read information, you rewrite or memorize, and sometimes the information does not stick in your mind. This can happen at work too. When things divert your attention; it prevents your brain from processing new information and working efficiently or effectively.
The key is to be selective to give full attention to what is important to you – choose to make it your undivided attention – and do not allow things to divert your attention from learning, projects, or people.
Refining your behaviours and practices to fully concentrate on what you are learning or doing allows you to fully nurture and advance your strengths, express smarts, or do deep work.
Mindset is how you believe in yourself, how you think about your own abilities, how you perceive the world. It is evident in how you act when faced with a challenge, such as learning new or difficult things, making a decision, or solving a problem. Rather than fixating on your limitations believe in your ability to evoke more brain power and awaken your various intelligences through being open and curious about everything, and having willingness to learning and practice new skills.
Do you slog through the same routine every day? You can have fun and accomplishment in experimenting and being inventive about trying to do things in new ways. Creativity excites your brain. In doing deep work, it may mean taking risks and making mistakes, but it also means that you express your imagination and creativity smarts. Those are the kinds of smarts that have changed the world.
Applying your strengths in meaningful ways is invaluable experience. Experience always results in various kinds of feedback. The feedback may come through other people or through making time to reflect on an experience. Both kinds of feedback add to your knowledge or your mastery of a subject or ability. They illuminate other ways you are smart and how you are able to use your smarts in complex ways. Feedback gives you helpful information that you can use for such things as making comparisons, seeking advice, engaging in discussions, or making informed choices. Feedback gives you evidence of skill improvement and future usefulness. It is meaningful reinforcement that tells you that your decisions, learning, and actions are headed in directions you want for yourself. This translates into personal satisfaction that you did something well, adding to your self-assurance. Feedback is confirmation that you smart choices. Every one of these bits of information is a meaningful addition to what makes you smart today and how you will use that information to be smarter tomorrow.
Smart people are fascinating. Enhanced by their experiences or social diversity, they know how to stimulate as well as expand their intellect, and have great conversations. You can engage with smart people and be inspired on multiple levels at work, socially, or in volunteer situations. They can help keep your brain sharp and motivate you to do smart things.
Don't worry about what other people are doing – focus on what is right for you. Do not let the actions of others (friends, coworkers, family) dictate what you think everyone else will do. It is not really about trusting others, it is all about trusting yourself. You must learn to trust your ideas, your thoughts and those feelings that show up pushing you forward in your pursuits. As you follow your advancement in all your capabilities you will also see your passion and confidence develop along with your insight into all the ways you are smart now and can extend your greatness in new and different directions.
A generalist is a person who has an understanding of a wide range of things on a lot of subjects. A specialist is a person who has narrowed their studies to a specific topic and has special knowledge and skill relating to a particular field. If you are a student, both career choices have pros and cons and the choice is not a matter of intellect or ability. Both require hard work, dedication and passion if you want to succeed.
If you are an entrepreneur, you are likely passionate about a specific niche, and are working hard to turn your specialty into a successful business. Being a specialist certainly has its benefits, but for an entrepreneur who has several managerial responsibilities and wants to stand out from the crowd, being a generalist with transferable skills, a broader-based knowledge, and diversity of experience also has several advantages. Your insight is unleashed or expanded through your roster of previous experiences. In fact, lots of innovative ideas emerge from combining insights, re-imagining products, services, processes from diverse fields that do not seem connected.
In an increasingly connected world, where the future is unpredictable and unknown, a broader approach and wider understanding of different things equips you with the smarts to see things through a much wider lens, navigate uncertainty, make better decisions, think outside the box, work with different people, or solve complex issues.
Being both a specialist and generalist gives you the dynamic ability to be creative, to apply your skills and knowledge flexibly to problems or situations you haven’t seen before or create new knowledge. You can become an expert in any subject or field you desire, but do not overlook the benefits of developing and diversifying your interests, knowledge, strengths and experiences to expand your smarts.
Multitaskers think they are effective
than is actually the case. Science shows that trying to multitask is inefficient and less productive. Your ability to focus on one thing
at a time proves to have a more direct advantage.
Making time to chill out through rest and relaxation is an important part of maintaining good health, both are energizing. Frequent periods of “me” time are good for boosting spirits, enhancing cognitive function, and also the key tool in working smart.
In working smart, time is not the problem. Distractions - even small ones - are the culprit. Use undivided attention strategies to limit or eliminate them, so you can use energies more meaningfully and productively.
Working smart is the ability to having better judgment and control as much as you can. Choice is the most powerful control you have in life. You can use choice wisely to protect your focus and time with one of these attention management strategies.
If you are a diligent or passionate about what you do, you may find your workday blurs into your home life and you could forget to clock out. Burnout is real. Working smart requires firm boundaries between your personal and professional time.
Your to-do list takes up headspace, slows you down, while adding anxiety and stress to your day. Your brain works best when you give it specific direction. Try this strategy for working smart and getting priority work done.
