If you want to do big things, there is something else: borrow one or more smart persons. I was once part of an infrastructure project that I (and others on it) simply didn't know how to advance. At some point a few really smart folks got into a room and thought hard about it, and wrote a detailed roadmap. It was still hard to implement, but doable by us mortals. Sometimes you just have to admit defeat and ask for help.
How to do things if you're not that smart and don't have any talent
31–40 of 225 posts
Re: How to do things if you're not that smart and don't have any talent
#32“Most people who are talented or smart are scared of doing things” I have noticed this a lot in my career, I think it’s because these people self identify as smart/talented and every time you attempt some task, there is the possibility of failure - and for the “smart” person, failing at a task takes a stab at the heart of their identity. Self cushioning in a cloud of rationales “well, I can’t do X but at least I’m sm…
As one of those 'naturally smart' types, part of the trouble there for me is that everything is easy right up until it isn't. I was well into college before I ever had to actually study or prepare or do second drafts on anything at all to succeed, and for obvious reasons I sucked at it and crashed and burned completely with several subjects before I got any kind of grip on things.
Grit is a trully underrated skill.
Re: How to do things if you're not that smart and don't have any talent
#33“Most people who are talented or smart are scared of doing things” I have noticed this a lot in my career, I think it’s because these people self identify as smart/talented and every time you attempt some task, there is the possibility of failure - and for the “smart” person, failing at a task takes a stab at the heart of their identity. Self cushioning in a cloud of rationales “well, I can’t do X but at least I’m sm…
Most people that I've taught (sometimes fairly advanced) computer skills to have been held back up to that point almost entirely by their own fears. First actions I've always taken is whatever I gotta do or say to get them past those fears so that the actual learning can begin. Once they're no longer scared of the subject matter at hand, they almost always have no troubles actually grasping the concepts (as long as they're explained in terms that make sense to them). Lotta folks are a lot smarter'n they give themselves credit for, even about things they think they can't understand, but their fears create a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy of failure.
Re: How to do things if you're not that smart and don't have any talent
#34Getting results or becoming rich has a magical property where overnight you are viewed as turning into a genius! ;)
Having persistence and constantly monitoring yourself so that I did't get trapped in the weeds! That's how I got stuff done anyway, and I've never been considered very talented or smart! Except of course after I started to get results, at which point some people started to consider I was talented and smart :)
Re: How to do things if you're not that smart and don't have any talent
#35From my experience in the tech industry I can say with utmost confidence that "not smart"/"talentless" people who are determined and hard-working lead to significantly better real world results than geniuses who are lazy, unmotivated or overall not action oriented. The vast majority of problems at any company are easy and don't need any big technological breakthroughs to solve. They are instead held back by (1) lack…
Sure but just because someone is smart doesn't mean they don't work hard. And a smarter person can achieve what a stupid person can with less effort. This is just reality. I mean it's akin to saying a car can drive faster then a plane if the plane doesn't accelerate. Of course. I think as stupid person I can find certain niches and excel in areas where smart people typically don't attempt to try, but reality is reali…
OP didn't make the statement that you're arguing against.
Re: How to do things if you're not that smart and don't have any talent
#36Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sure but just because someone is smart doesn't mean they don't work hard. And a smarter person can achieve what a stupid person can with less effort. This is just reality. I mean it's akin to saying a car can drive faster then a plane if the plane doesn't accelerate. Of course. I think as stupid person I can find certain niches and excel in areas where smart people typically don't attempt to try, but reality is reali…
OP didn't make the statement that you're arguing against.
No he didn't. I'm adding to his statement. Saying it's kind of a meaningless statement as meaningless as saying a car can go faster then a plane if the plane isn't moving.
A hard working stupid person can accomplish more then a smart person if the smart person isn't working at all. This statement is as obvious and insightful as the statement about the plane. And it sort of obfuscates the fact that smart people have a huge advantage in the fact that they have to work less hard.
Additionally despite all of this, there's no magical thing stating that all smart people never work hard. Smart people may in many cases even work harder than stupid people.
Re: How to do things if you're not that smart and don't have any talent
#37There could be a psychology study on how fast and who pressed or not on the link
Re: How to do things if you're not that smart and don't have any talent
#38From my experience in the tech industry I can say with utmost confidence that "not smart"/"talentless" people who are determined and hard-working lead to significantly better real world results than geniuses who are lazy, unmotivated or overall not action oriented. The vast majority of problems at any company are easy and don't need any big technological breakthroughs to solve. They are instead held back by (1) lack…
> (1) lack of effort or (2) lack of organization. (3) lack of reward I say the former 2 is caused by 3. Why would anyone put in over-time to solve a problem, if they dont know how well they'd get rewarded by it? It's why small/founder owned startups get more done with less, because they know themselves how much reward they'd get when putting in the hard yards.
Small groups of like-minded people (from the same cultural and social background) move faster because they have less friction and a shared mission statement.
That is something that translates badly to bigger groups, no matter the reward. Us tech guys already get rewarded with great working conditions and good pay.
Re: How to do things if you're not that smart and don't have any talent
#39Great head fake of an article! These are exactly the things that make smart people smart!
Re: How to do things if you're not that smart and don't have any talent
#40From my experience in the tech industry I can say with utmost confidence that "not smart"/"talentless" people who are determined and hard-working lead to significantly better real world results than geniuses who are lazy, unmotivated or overall not action oriented. The vast majority of problems at any company are easy and don't need any big technological breakthroughs to solve. They are instead held back by (1) lack…
If it's in R&D, medium intelligence people simply can't contribute even if they try really hard.