A Simple Trick for Brilliant People

Have you noticed that smart people can be really ineffective and stupid people can be surprisingly wise?  Intelligence only gets you so far.  And sometimes it actually makes navigating life’s challenges more difficult.  My clients are brilliant.  My friends are brilliant.  I surround myself with clever, innovative and creative people.  I have noticed that intelligent people generally want to use their brains to figure out solutions (preferably innovative and unique) even when their mothers told them the answers thirty years ago or when the directions are clearly written right in front of them.

Just as ninety percent of success in life comes from simply showing up, ninety percent of what we should do in life is pretty darn obvious.  The dog poops on the floor, you clean it up.  Your boss wants a report, just do the bloody report.  Your spouse asks you to pick up your socks, just pick up the socks already.  Seriously, can you imagine how much easier life would be if we didn’t fight it so much?

If you are feeling grumpy or dissatisfied, rather than trying to figure out why, or blaming yourself or others, try getting some exercise, breathing fresh air, eating some vegetables, or getting more sleep.  If your physical well-being is already good, what about your spiritual or emotional well-being? When is the last time you spent time with friends?  Are you praying, meditating or reading poetry?  (Regardless of your belief systems, we all need something that helps us feel connected to the big picture.)

Taking care of ourselves is not rocket science. (Apparently even rocket science is not rocket science, but that is another issue.)  It’s a choice.  Sometimes we would rather be crabby or strung out and exhausted.  Somehow we confuse being busy with being a valuable, worthwhile person.  We are so important that we are constantly in demand, and because we are always in demand we are overworked and exhausted.  Next time you feel like injuring a coworker, family member or total stranger, consider that the reasons are irrelevant and just take some steps to take better care of yourself.