Are you smart?

Being good at school is not the same as being smart. You can memorize the right answers but not understand how something works. I was very good at memorizing growing up. But I mistook memorization and good grades for being smart and knowing something. I knew the right answer, but I didn’t always know how to get there. I wasn’t thinking critically, and there is a big difference between knowing an answer and knowing something so well that you not only know the answer, but how to get the answer, can explain it in different ways, and understand the concept.

Requirements for success

“The three things you need in life to be successful are: hard work, stick to-it-ivness, and common sense.” – Thomas Edison.

My modified version: The three keys to success are diligence (working hard, smart, and with an end goal in mind), persistence (not giving up, OR knowing when it is right to let go), and pertinent intelligence (not just book smarts or common sense, but intelligence in the field of study that you are pursuing).

What are you doing today to lead to your success tomorrow and beyond? What quick wins can you get to build momentum? And what are big action steps you can take that may take a while to see the result, but are still incredibly important?

Pain is subjective: How to get comfortable with the uncomfortable

“The reason his fights look so easy is because his training was so hard.” – Paraphrased from Joe Rogan when he was talking about Floyd Mayweather.

Train to make the uncomfortable not phase you. If that is your baseline and you’re used to facing obstacles, it will become your new normal. But to someone who hasn’t faced those same difficulties, when they suddenly are thrown into a tough situation, it will be harder for them mentally, physically, and emotionally.

How do you get comfortable with the uncomfortable?

A huge part of it is mental fitness. Mental fitness is more than just being mentally tough. Being tough (or being able to endure) is just one aspect of your mental fitness, but being able to understand concepts, to think outside of the box, to have a good memory. and to be flexible in a changing environment all contribute to being mentally fit.

The other part (the “easier” part) is physical fitness. Again, you want to be physically tough and able to hold up to pressure, but physics fitness also includes strength, endurance, flexibility, mobility, balance, coordination, having a healthy heart and joints, etc.

If you are mentally and physically fit, it will be easier to overcome challenging situations. So what are some things you can do to become fit?

Train your body consistently to lift heavy weights for low reps, to lift light weights for high reps, to sprint short distances at fast speeds, to walk/run/bike long distances at slow speeds, to occasionally work with very little sleep, to occasionally work with very little to eat, to think fast and make quick decisions, to analyze and think slowly, to deal with the heat, to deal with the cold, to read/write/draw, etc. These are just a few examples…

There are so many ways you can train your body and mind at the same time. Do a difficult task daily, one that pushes your existing comfort levels, because the more difficult you make your training, the easier your life will be. If your training is harder than the actual event, you’ll remain strong physically and, more importantly, you’ll remain strong mentally and emotionally. This will give you the edge you need over your competition.

Pain is subjective – it changes based on the perspective of who is going through the experience. Running a mile at a sub 6-minute clip is easy for those who do it consistently, but for the untrained person, this will probably be very painful. What will you do today to increase your fitness and increase your pain threshold?

Clarity through simplification

Simplify to clarify.

If you can answer a question completely in 7 words, don’t use 8. If you can use the most simple language that even a child can understand, don’t use fancy words to possibly confuse others. If you do so, you’re doing so out of your own ego. You’re signaling to others “how smart you are.” Because if you were truly smart, you would not feel the need to prove it to others. Instead, your main focus would be to pass along information as clearly and concisely as possible, so that everyone listening understands and can put it into practice.

A simple tip to lead to success

Have you ever been unsure of what you want to do, of what goals you would like to achieve? Or do you have a vague idea of “what you want” but are overwhelmed when thinking of how to get there? Here’s something you can work on every single day…

Go to bed smarter than you woke up.

Now, having more knowledge/information doesn’t guarantee success. But it is at least a step in the direction towards becoming an expert in your field. Once you have the information, you can act upon it.

So ask yourself when you wake up…What will you learn today? How will you improve your mind, your body, or your relationships in any way? There’s no such thing as equilibrium – just tiny adjustments, up or down/better or worse…will you improve yourself and your knowledge today? Or will you get worse?