Below is a lesson from PS I Love You on 15 habits to shift your mindset to one of intellectual curiosity vs Intellectual laziness, as well as our key learning.

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15 HABITS OF GENUINELY INTELLIGENT PEOPLE

Jessica Wildfire – 5 min

For years, I taught gifted teenagers — long enough to know how it sounds when someone brings up their IQ. The most intellectually-lazy people I’ve met obsess over their intelligence.

It ruins all of their relationships.

I’ve also spent years teaching developmental students, the ones everyone else has given up on — the ones who were told they need more “remedial” classes before they’re allowed to take the real ones.

Twelve years in education has taught me one big lesson: The difference between intelligence and ignorance isn’t about IQ or cognitive ability. It usually comes down to your mindset.

Continue Reading Here.

Key Learnings:

• The difference between intelligence and ignorance isn’t about IQ or cognitive ability. It usually comes down to your mindset.
• 15 habits of truly intelligent people:
  1. They don’t talk about how smart they are.
     • Smart people are busy growing their minds
  2. They learn best by imitation.
     • They study what works and try it.
  3. They try to figure things out themselves.
     • They want to experiment and problem-solve. They want to struggle a little first and don’t give up too soon.
  4. They’re always hunting knowledge.
     • They focus on what they want to know, not what they already know.
  5. They don’t brag about what they know.
     • They apply their knowledge
  6. They connect the dots.
     • They look for connections between dissimilar things, read across fields and disciplines.
  7. They’re okay with cognitive dissonance.
     • They can hold two conflicting ideas in their head at the same time, finding ways to admire each one.
  8. They ask lots of questions.
     • They are curious.
  9. They abstract from their experiences.
     • They find patterns in ordinary stuff and scale them up, always observing tiny parts of life that are often overlooked and figure out how to explain them (creating theories and breakthroughs.)
  10. They seek out puzzles and paradoxes.
      • They wrap their minds around things that can’t/shouldn’t make sense, knowing something caused it to happen.
  11. They don’t get hung up on crumbs.
      • They don’t let the actions of others bother them, as long as it doesn’t get in the way.
  12. They move slow, until they hit warp speed.
      • They think about a problem before doing anything.
  13. They have no problem with failure.
      • They see failed experiments as information that is one step closer to what they are looking for.
  14. They don’t try to sound smart.
      • They explain the complex in a simple way for anyone to understand.
      • 14B: They make everyone around them feel smart.
  15. They don’t always use big words.
      • They use the right words – big or simple.
• The Master Habit: They practice empathy.
  • They try to think from various viewpoints. They try to understand how their actions affect everyone.
  • Feelings happen in our brains and are connected to thoughts.
  • Intelligence is about caring about what happens in the world around you, how you fit into it.
  • You get smart by listening, learning, and observing.
• Intelligence is a way of doing things. Practice these habits!