Intelligence
Intelligence is not 1-dimensional. Also see Intelligence (Psychology), where I talk about fluid vs. crystallized intelligence.
Note
From this paper by DeepMind: “Intelligence may be defined as the ability to adapt to a diverse set of complex environments”
To watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7-rYp-BQJQ&ab_channel=Psych2Go
My criteria for being smart (what I look for):
- Curiosity to learn every day, passion, inquisitive (and be open-minded?)
- Grit, persistence, they don’t give up
- Ability to Teach others well
- Highly knowledgeable about topics / really really good at something (at national / international stage)
- Being very articulate
- Ability to put themselves in the circle of opportunity
Emotional Intelligence is definitely intelligence, but that is a baseline.
Intelligent people can hold a conversation about anything. All of the smartest people I know are pretty humble about their knowledge because they know enough to know they know nothing in the scheme of things. People who think they are smart are usually really hard to have conversations with and aren’t open to viewpoints other than their own because they can’t perceive a reality in which they are wrong.
“In Waterloo, theres no shortage of smart people, theres a shortage of humble people.” I think there’s a shortage of both.
There is also Wisdom.
Why do I feel like intelligence is just glorified Pattern Recognition? Pattern recognition is a big part of it.
Mindset
Each person you meet knows something that you don’t know. Sometimes, you may feel you’re the smartest person in the room, but rarely you are. Ironically, if you have the belief that your intelligence is higher than everyone else around you, then you’re more likely closed to learning new things. This way of thinking inhibits your growth and potential, making you less intelligent.
Intelligence is not rare anymore. It can’t help you stand out anymore. It’s flexibility It’s your ability to adapt in new situations. from The Psychology of Money
However, I am feeling that the more intelligent I become, the less relatable I become, and the more I intimidate people? And I become a bad person towards people, especially in Hackathon and Data Science Competition. I need to be very careful. Day 1 Mindset. Don’t be entitled.
The more you become intelligent, the more you should be Helping People, guide them. Don’t make them feel like shit for not knowing as much as you, you can Teach them. That also helps yourself.
- You once were stupid, gullible, knew nothing. Don’t Gatekeep. Go help them
I don’t think anyone is born smart. Even Einstein needed to put in the work.
Don't be a douchebag
One thing to be really careful about is to not make assumptions that people around you are not smart. I think everyone is smart in their own ways.
Each person you meet knows something that you don’t know. That is still my philosophy. Every individual has something exceptional to teach me.
Enter every conversation knowing there is something to learn out of it.
I haven’t felt like I met people who stood out (ex: won international math/CS competitions, done things that has awarded them worldwide recognition). I need to meet more of these people.
Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you
Sometimes, I also ask myself, why is there a need for me to surround myself with cracked people? Like can’t I just be with people who have a great heart (Kindness), and learn from that? That is the baseline. You’re setting your standards too low. All my friends have a good heart. My best friend Kevin Yang is the kindest person I know.
You want to accelerate the process of becoming the best engineer. It’s about forming a Mastermind Group.
What do you want to achieve by the end of your life?
I was doing the Harry Potter Quiz today and found out that I belonged to Griffindor. But one of the questions asked: What do you want to achieve by the end of your life?
So my answer is d) and I took myself by surprise, since I also do value Relationships a lot. Which shows how much I value Self-Learning.
Where to find smart people
School is the baseline. Smart people gather at these Design teams. They do more outside the basic school curriculum.
- The smart people I met are through Design Teams, so that is why I really want to be more involved in these design teams. This is where I can find the really smart people. The design teams.
I also find people really good at filmmaking smart (that is what i admire).
Action item:
- Get more involved in WARG
- Get into WATonomous
You will also find a lot of smart people at work.
Also, you can find really smart people in Art and Book. I don’t remember where I heard this from, but some of your friends are dead, because they are in books. These are where the really smart people are, people ahead of their times, who really knew shit.
And don’t just “meet” smart people. Because they are rare. Actually befriend them. Your interests should align, and that comes naturally.
How to Get Smarter
- Get more involved in design teams
- Practice more self-awareness so you know what you don’t know, remove Dunning-Kruger Effect
- Be humble. Humility goes a long way
Mindset
Each person you meet knows something that you don’t know. Sometimes, you may feel you’re the smartest person in the room, but rarely you are. Ironically, if you have the belief that your intelligence is higher than everyone else around you, then you’re more likely closed to learning new things. This way of thinking inhibits your growth and potential, making you less intelligent.
Intelligence from Psychology Perspective
https://nobaproject.com/modules/intelligence
Being Around Smart People
It’s cool, I’m actually meeting people who I have difficulty having conversations with because they are so much smarter than me, that I don’t even know how to ask the right questions, like meeting Sam Zeloof. But maybe that is more because I just need to set my Ego aside?
- Because I don’t want to be asking super basic questions