7 ms·

I've noticed that a lot of successful people got there by doing things that, on the surface, don't seem to need a lot of brainpower. But, when you get to know t

by ikeboy 10y ago

I've noticed that a lot of successful people got there by doing things that, on the surface, don't seem to need a lot of brainpower. But, when you get to know them more, you find that they're smart. I think that very often, being smart leads someone to succeed but invisibly, so it's easy for others who don't know the whole story to attribute it to luck.

lisper 10y ago
Being smart helps stack the deck in your favor, but it is neither necessary nor sufficient. Ben Carson and Steve Harvey are both rich, but I wouldn't consider either of them particularly smart.
- ikeboy 10y ago
  Neurosurgeons have higher than average IQ, and Carson is one of the best. He's smart. I don't know much about Harvey, but ironically I found this article http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/steve-harvey-success-series-kick-your-fear-of-failure.html http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/steve-harvey-success-series-ki... >Spend time with a person who is very successful in some field or pursuit; it doesn't matter what. After a few minutes you'll probably think, "Wait, this guy isn't any smarter than me." After a few more minutes you'll probably think, "Hey, I'm actually smarter than he is." Success doesn't require a high IQ or some special intangible quality that you don't have. Successful people only become "special" after they succeed; before they put in all that time and effort they were just like everyone else. Spend time with a few successful people and you will realize you are just as capable of achieving great things. I disagree with some of this, as above. There's some of each, some lucky and some skilled. But I think skill plays a bigger role in the variance of similarly situated people. Luck in the sense of where you're born, how privileged your family is, etc play a larger role than luck later in life, I think. I also consider brains a luck factor as well.
  - lisper 10y ago
    > Neurosurgeons have higher than average IQ That's the conventional wisdom, but is it really true? Or do they just have above average mechanical skills? I followed Carson closely during the presidential campaign and I saw no evidence that he's particularly smart (and quite a bit of evidence to the contrary).
    - nugget 10y ago
      Have you ever seen people you know personally do live events / media on that scale? Carson did an amazing job considering his background.
      - lisper 10y ago
        I have a relative who is a TV news reporter. I have personal acquaintances who have done live TV interviews, and I have done a couple of those myself (on Fox News). Does that count? And what exactly is it about Carson's background that makes you rate his performance as "amazing"? He seemed amazingly bad to me. I've even watched some of Carson's performances as a motivational speaker before he got into politics and he still seemed to me like (how shall I put this?) not the brightest light in the firmament.
    - ikeboy 10y ago
      I know a couple of people who went through medical school. It is not easy. Being smart certainly makes it easier (to get in as well as getting through all of it), so doctors are selected for intelligence, as well as hard working.
      - lisper 10y ago
        AFAICT getting through med school mainly requires the ability to memorize a ton of random facts and a willingness to defer to authority and put up with a boat load of bullshit. The ability to actually think critically (which is part of my definition of "smart") is not only not a requirement, it can be a distinct disadvantage.
        10y ago

by ikeboy 10y ago

lisper 10y ago

Being smart helps stack the deck in your favor, but it is neither necessary nor sufficient. Ben Carson and Steve Harvey are both rich, but I wouldn't consider either of them particularly smart.

ikeboy 10y ago
Neurosurgeons have higher than average IQ, and Carson is one of the best. He's smart. I don't know much about Harvey, but ironically I found this article http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/steve-harvey-success-series-kick-your-fear-of-failure.html http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/steve-harvey-success-series-ki... >Spend time with a person who is very successful in some field or pursuit; it doesn't matter what. After a few minutes you'll probably think, "Wait, this guy isn't any smarter than me." After a few more minutes you'll probably think, "Hey, I'm actually smarter than he is." Success doesn't require a high IQ or some special intangible quality that you don't have. Successful people only become "special" after they succeed; before they put in all that time and effort they were just like everyone else. Spend time with a few successful people and you will realize you are just as capable of achieving great things. I disagree with some of this, as above. There's some of each, some lucky and some skilled. But I think skill plays a bigger role in the variance of similarly situated people. Luck in the sense of where you're born, how privileged your family is, etc play a larger role than luck later in life, I think. I also consider brains a luck factor as well.
- lisper 10y ago
  > Neurosurgeons have higher than average IQ That's the conventional wisdom, but is it really true? Or do they just have above average mechanical skills? I followed Carson closely during the presidential campaign and I saw no evidence that he's particularly smart (and quite a bit of evidence to the contrary).
  - nugget 10y ago
    Have you ever seen people you know personally do live events / media on that scale? Carson did an amazing job considering his background.
    - lisper 10y ago
      I have a relative who is a TV news reporter. I have personal acquaintances who have done live TV interviews, and I have done a couple of those myself (on Fox News). Does that count? And what exactly is it about Carson's background that makes you rate his performance as "amazing"? He seemed amazingly bad to me. I've even watched some of Carson's performances as a motivational speaker before he got into politics and he still seemed to me like (how shall I put this?) not the brightest light in the firmament.
  - ikeboy 10y ago
    I know a couple of people who went through medical school. It is not easy. Being smart certainly makes it easier (to get in as well as getting through all of it), so doctors are selected for intelligence, as well as hard working.
    - lisper 10y ago
      AFAICT getting through med school mainly requires the ability to memorize a ton of random facts and a willingness to defer to authority and put up with a boat load of bullshit. The ability to actually think critically (which is part of my definition of "smart") is not only not a requirement, it can be a distinct disadvantage.
      - 10y ago