How To Be Smart – 5 Weird Things That Will Probably Surprise You
Ever wonder how to be smart? Or at least how to become smarter?
If you've read my story, you know I struggled academically throughout school. Early in life, this often led me to ask myself, “How can I become smarter?”
Over the years, I've stumbled across multiple studies and articles about intelligence, and below are 5 odd factoids I remember from my less-than-official study of what makes someone smart. If I had only known about these 5 weird things earlier, I wouldn't have worried so much about how to be smart. In fact, this list makes me feel pretty good! How about you?
(NOTE: While the following weird items are fun to read, I've included five practical strategies at the end of this post that you can use to become smarter almost overnight.)
5 Weird Things That Make You Smarter
5. Left-handedness.
I love this one because, you guessed it, I'm left-handed.
Oddly enough, my parents made me write with my right hand as a little kid. They could never explain why. My mom often said, “No one in our family was 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).
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 if I get any bonus points.
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 losing body hair. It started with my head and now…I know, I know, TMI (too much information). But now I have to ask, “Is the opposite true? Am I losing intelligence with each body-hair follicle I see in the shower drain?”
3. Happiness.
I'm a pretty happy guy. I've even been told I'm blessed with the gift of happiness. How cool is that?!
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 great reads!
2. Eccentricity.
Defined as an oddity or peculiarity in conduct, this is the one item on the list that doesn't fit me. Oh well, I guess four out of five isn't bad.
1. Chocolate Consumption.
I'm not sure how chocolate consumption adds to one's IQ, but 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 (okay, so proven is definitely a stretch).
5 Practical Strategies That Make You Smarter
Interested in five strategies to become smarter that are a bit more practical and realistic? Try these…
5. Limit TV.
The TV is called the “Idiot Box” for a reason.
4. Hang out with other people who set worthwhile goals and are proactive.
Three years from now you will be the average of the five people you hang out with the 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 joyful.
Yes, happiness is listed above, but being joyful and happy is worth repeating. Look for the good in life. Count your blessings. And follow the wise advice in Philippians 4:8: “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”
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