You Are Smarter Than You Think
Posted: Saturday, July 25, 2009
by Diane Neuman
http://breathingdeepexercises.com
Beware the hawker who promises to sell you a secret
formula to raise your IQ ten additional points for a mere $19.95! But wait!
Theres more! If you order within the next hour the hawker will throw in a free
cheese grater!
Know that you ALREADY HAVE both emotional intelligence and
business intelligence above and beyond what you believe, beyond what you have
been told and beyond intelligence test scores. There is no secret formula
here so keep the $19.95 in your pocket.
It is enough for you to simply use ALL the intelligence that
Mother Nature gave you. At this very moment you have a sizeable chunk of IQ
that is being constrained and overpowered.
I suppose IQ tests are helpful when it comes to hiring for
particular jobs, for placement in the education system, for career counseling
and such. Beyond that, don't take them too seriously. For starters there have
been studies that show that the most successful business people aren't the
smartest. They simply work harder, do their homework and love what they are
doing.
BELIEF
What you BELIEVE about yourself shapes every thought you
have, every action you take and every word you speak. If you believe you are
stupid or slow or ugly, you will conform (mind and body) to that belief. The
result is that you have imprisoned your Best and Deepest Self. Consequently no
one gets to know the real you. In fact, you don't even know the real you!
Indulge me, please, for a short story. I have a friend Bill
who was labeled by a third grade teacher as very slow. That label was passed up the grades from
teacher to teacher and worse yet, Bill eventually believed it.
When Bill was in the army he decided to take a
correspondence course in Algebra because he was determined to pass it even if
it took him ten years. Much to his amazement he earned a good grade in a
reasonable length of time. Perhaps he wasn't as slow as he had always believed!
After the army he graduated from a state university with a four-point grade
average and received awards for his writing. These days he is a reporter for a
big city newspaper. The only thing in his way was his belief about his own
intelligence.
NOISE
Our brains and bodies have evolved almost completely in
response to the challenges of life as shepherds, farmers, gatherers and
fishermen. What do these activities have in common? Long hours of solitude, of
quiet, of contemplation, strong physical activity, intense focus and time to
think. Our minds need this waking quiet to function and perform at their
best.
In the blink of an eye, Man has gone from farmer to techie.
Human evolution does not work that fast!
While we can survive this unprecedented change by adapting and
compensating, the body and mind pay a price.
Your deepest, smartest, most creative, truest Self will
NEVER shout to get your attention, to answer your hardest questions or to solve
your biggest mysteries. Yet your Best Self is always there, trying to help you.
The iPhone, the iPod, the computer, the robot, the digital
television were all born of someones deepest inner Self. You need to find a
way to use your mind and body as it was designed and still be a part of this
exciting and promising new noisy time of technology.
Isnt it interesting that when you study the history of
invention, you learn the moment of creation often came when the creator was
daydreaming or walking the dog or gazing at the stars? Give yourself a period
of peace and quiet every day - without phones, without television, without
radio, without MP3 players.
Why do you think meditation is still around after many
hundreds of years? Meditation isn't simply sleeping while sitting up, it isnt
some mumbo-jumbo trance, and it isn't a self-indulgent excuse to avoid
responsibilities. Meditation is the practice of re-tuning your total being. It is
the chance to sit with your best and deepest (and quietest) Self.
STRESS
Stress mangles, tangles and tortures thought. No way we can
avoid all stress, nor should we. But we can compensate. The current consensus
for brain function seems to be that even brilliant thinkers poop out after 20
to 40 minutes when it comes to doing anything really special or important. No
problemo. Take a quick break every 20 to 40 minutes. If necessary, set an alarm
to get you up and moving. During your quick break aim for a change of scene,
quiet, fresh air and deep breathing.
SLEEP
Do you know that you can break a human being by simply
waking them up every couple of hours? The mind turns to mush in just a few days
and you will have your signed confession.
To get the most from your mind you need a good eight hours
of uninterrupted sleep, preferably in complete darkness and as little sound as
possible. Otherwise, neither your mind nor your body will perform at peak
skill.
APPRECIATION
Understand that your brain is having to process incoming
data at an unprecedented speed. Your great great-grandfather showed
extraordinary courage and determination in his life. But his data-processing
load was a tiny fraction of what your brain must handle as you sit in front of
two monitors, three phones, three file cabinets and ten co-workers babbling
away in nearby cubby-holes.
Give your beautiful mind/brain as much help as possible. Choose
carefully what you eat and drink. Keep your challenges in perspective. Get as
much peace and quiet as possible. Get plenty of rest. Be grateful for your
extraordinary skills. They may not be typical but they are special. Believe
that!
Hi Diane.This is a very good and inspirational article. Well thought out and well written. Your messages are good ones. I especially thought your notes about noise were important. But it was all good.Respectfully,(another) DianneDear Dianne,I'm delighted that you found my article useful and you were kind to let me know. I think a lot of the view of ones intelligence, talents and abilities is rooted somewhere deep in early years. Perhaps we had one of those siblings who seemed to shine even when they weren't trying or they were just better at taking tests than we were! That too-simplistic view can become hard-wired and stick with us as adults. Know that who you are and what you have to give is special and important. Exploring your unique capabilities can be a pretty exciting adventure! You might check the Archives on my blog page to find something additional on the subject (I get to use graphics there).
Diane, thank you for this! You've just made me feel much better about myself and not in an arrogant way. A very interesting article with invaluable information! That last paragraph was the perfect end with sound advice.
I'm late but nevertheless, welcome to SearchWarp! :)Avis,Remember that YOU ARE UNIQUE AND YOU ARE ENOUGH. It's sad that most of us go through an entire lifetime with untapped talents and abilities. An IQ is a convenience devised by humans. Your particular emotional and professional intelligence is a separate issue. Appreciate and nurture it.
Great article. Well done.If you buy something like that you should lose 10 IQ points for being for forgetting to use logic. If this existed do you not think it would be a multi-billion pound product with an advert playing on every station?Connor,Thanks so much for taking time to comment on the article. While I certainly have no quarrel with products and programs in today's marketplace that actually have the potential to speed up our mental and physical evolution, I would like to see us first mine the richness that is already there.It's cheaper and keeps a lot of stuff out of the landfill!
Hi, Diane, This is the first time I've read one of your articles, and hope to see more! This was unusually interesting, informative, and it lifts the spirits. I especially was caught by your mention of shepherds, farmers, and others in relative solitude. Wow. That makes the point about the time needed just to think and reflect, for openness to fresh perspectives and inspiration. It helps prayer, too. We need that quiet just to think and reflect!Jean,You were kind to take time to comment on the article. Knowing that someone actually READS what I write is inspiration to keep at it. If you are so inclined I've posted ten other articles on this user-friendly site and you should be able to find them by a search of my name.Also you might find useful some short articles on my blog (Resource Box). I have lots of fun posting there because it is easier for me to include my drawings. In any case, thanks so much for taking time from what must be a busy schedule.
The person who smiles and changes the channel from the hawker with the IQ potion has shown just how high their IQ already is. Great article, Diane, and Welcome to Searchwarp, we're so glad to have you here.SandraSandra,Thank you for the warm welcome. My concern is for those of us who have been conditioned by the marketplace (brainwashed, if you will) to measure personal worth by commercial standards. Corporations make their fortunes by convincing us that we are not complete, not enough. To be successful and gorgeous you must purchase their gunk and their goo. While I don't begrudge corporations their chance to make a profit, I'm concerned when every young person is blasted by thousands of blaring ads each year that shift focus from their hearts and minds to their wallets. Don't get me wrong. I do occasionally wear goo too.
