Find yourself engaging in negative self-talk? Feel like the dumbest person in the room? In this month’s blog series, we’re going to examine some of the negative self-talk we engage in and learn how it affects our success.
Intellect
This week, let’s talk about intellect. If you feel like you know you’re smart, but it’s just not coming through to the rest of the world, or if you genuinely feel like you can’t measure up to those around you, consider these tips for turning things around.
1. Ask for More Training
There are a lot of people thrown into situations they are not prepared to handle, but they don’t want to admit it for fear of losing an opportunity. If you’re a soccer goalie who is worried about stopping goals to your left side, ask a teammate to work on it with you. If you’re in an office and can’t wrap your head around spreadsheets, take an online course. It’s OK not to understand or feel competent in doing something. The only time that becomes a real problem is when you refuse to work toward improvement or tell yourself you're stupid.
2. Let Them Know You're Smart
Did you graduate from college? Plenty of people have their degrees on display. Also, mention your successes. If you’re a high school student who got an "A" on a quiz, it’s OK to feel good about it and let those around you know you did well. Don’t get carried away, but keep in mind by sharing your intellectual successes, you’re sending the message to others that you are smart. Hopefully, you get the message as well.
3. Know How You're Smart
Maybe you’re not the best player on the football team, but you’re great at drawing up new plays. Perhaps you’re not a great all-around salesperson, but you’re able to develop leads for others to close. Understanding where you excel is one of the tools for building confidence, so learn where your intellectual strengths are, remind yourself of them daily, and then play to them.
4. Be Positive
People care if you’re smart far less than they care if you’re positive. The world is full of smart people nobody wants to be around. Displaying an upbeat attitude and maintaining optimism, even in the face of negativity and challenges, will go a long way toward drawing people to you and keeping their respect for your intellect. It is very much like that old saying: "It’s nice to be important but important to be nice."
5. Smart Can Be Seen As Bad
This heading may sound counter intuitive to the point of this week's blog, but take a step back and look at what the smart people in the office have to do. In most cases, they’re being paid the same as you, but have a larger workload and more expectations. People are probably also more envious of them and less likely to include them in social circles. By no means am I suggesting that you dumb yourself down. Just realize that there are always two sides to every situation, and learn to positively embrace your smartness and use it in a way that benefits yourself and others.