Even wonder how to be smart?
If you’ve read my story then you know I struggled academically throughout school. Early in my life this led me to ask myself over and over, “How can I get smarter?” If I had only known about these five weird things that are proven to make a person smarter, I wouldn’t have worried about how to be smart. In fact, this list has me feeling pretty good right now!
(NOTE: While the following weird things are fun to read, there are also five common sense ideas about how to be smart at the end of this post.)
5. Left-handedness.
I love this one. Why? You guessed it…I’m left-handed.
Oddly enough, when I was a kid my parents made me write with my right hand. To this day, they can’t explain why. My mom often said, “No one in our family has even been left-handed, so it just didn’t seem possible for you to be left-handed.”
The result? I am now ambidextrous. I write with my right hand but do practically everything else with either hand. For instance, I brush my teeth with either hand, I bowl with either hand, and I even eat with both hands (not at the same time, of course…unless I’m using chopsticks).
This ambidextrous thing got me thinking…can a person become even smarter if he is naturally left-handed and then adds “right-handedness” to his repertoire? Just wondering out loud here.
4. Body Hair.
I’m a winner with this one too. I was one of those kids who could have had a full-grown beard by my freshman year in high school.
As I get older, however, I’m beginning to lose body hair. I know, I know…too much information. But I have to say, this makes me wonder if I’m losing intelligence with each body-hair follicle I see in the shower drain.
3. Happiness.
This gets me excited too because I’m a pretty happy guy. I’ve even been told that I’m blessed with the gift of happiness.
By the way, if you want to improve your happiness quotient, check out these books: The Happiness Advantage, The Difference, and Happy For No Reason, All of them are great reads!
2. Eccentricity.
Defined as an oddity or peculiarity in conduct, this is the one item on the list that just doesn’t fit me. What’s more, when I think about how to be smart, I don’t really want to become more eccentric. Oh well, I guess four out of five isn’t bad.
1. Chocolate Consumption.
I’m not sure how this one works. However, I’m so brilliant that I’ve been eating a little piece of dark chocolate every night after dinner for years even though I had no idea it was a secret to how to be smart. Yeah, go ahead, call me Einstein!
There you have it. Five weird things that are proven to make a person smarter.
Interested in five common sense ideas on how to be smart? Here goes…
5. Limit TV time.
The TV is called the “Idiot Box” for a reason.
4. Hang out with people who actually think about life and are proactive.
I’ve heard many professional development experts say that three years from now we’ll be the average of the five people we hang out with most.
3. Stop complaining.
Smart people are solution-oriented, not problem-paralyzed. They look for opportunities, not roadblocks.
2. Read non-fiction books.
Nothing will increase your knowledge base and intelligence faster.
1. Be happy.
I know this is listed above as well, but it’s worth repeating. Be happy. Look for the good in life. Count your blessings. It really works!
Question: What would you add to this common sense “how to be smart” list?
