Today, we are going to learn about 10 struggles of being a highly intelligent person. Now, let’s begin.
- Devaluing Characteristics
Raw intelligence is a powerful tool, but it’s not everything. Many smart people assume their intelligence will carry them to the top. They may not learn or practice other skills because they don’t believe they need them.
Unfortunately, even the most intelligent people have limits. If you rely exclusively on your brainpower, you’re going to struggle with obstacles other people can easily overcome. For example, many industries rely on social connections to create opportunities for education or production. If you don’t know how to socialize, network, and solidify those connections, your chances of finding success grow considerably lower. You may be the smartest person in the room, but if you can’t communicate effectively—or connect with other people—no one will ever know what you can do.
Intelligence is an important skill to possess and refine, but you need a combination of talents to find success, including social skills, leadership qualities, and emotional intelligence. Even if you are the smartest person in the room, raw intelligence isn’t always enough.
- Tangled Self-Esteem
Intelligent people know they are intelligent, and they often pride themselves on their brainpower. They’re used to being the smartest person in the room, and they like knowing they have an intellectual edge over most people. But what happens when a smart person gets something wrong?
Highly intelligent people struggle when other people concentrate on their intellectual weaknesses. For example, intelligent people may be resistant to feedback and constructive criticism. They don’t like hearing about their mistakes, and they worry others will perceive them as less intellectual than they are. In other words, their mistakes damage their confidence and self-esteem. Because highly intelligent people pride themselves on their intellectual prowess, they’re afraid to show anyone the gaps in their knowledge.
- Instinctual Competition
Many intelligent people are incredibly competitive, usually when they don’t need to be. They’re always trying harder than anyone else, and they use their intelligence to get ahead of their competition. For an intelligent person, there’s more on the line than just winning. They feel compelled to protect their reputation. By overcoming their competition, a smart person is validating their intelligence, their work ethic, and their ambition, all of which they have worked hard to maintain.
They don’t care about one-upping other people or showing off their skills, but they do care about satisfying their own expectations. When they fail, intelligent people feel disappointed and insecure, because they know they could have done better. This can be a good trait and a bad trait. It motivates many intelligent people to achieve excellence in their fields, but it also cripples their self-esteem when things fall apart.
- Rejecting Repetition
Many intelligent people struggle to turn their brains off. They’re always chasing new things. They’re drawn to unsolved problems. They want to be engaged, stimulated, and intellectually challenged. But most problems are boring and mundane.
From household chores to repetitive tasks at work, your life is filled with mundane responsibilities. You need to do them, but intelligent people aren’t interested. They get bored exceptionally easily, and that boredom drives their stubborn resistance toward simple, monotonous responsibilities. When a smart person loses interest, they struggle more than most to do what needs to be done.
If you can’t stand repetitive jobs, I have good news for you. There’s a reason you suffer through boring jobs and grunt work. Many intelligent people never get off the ground because they aren’t willing to do another person’s dirty work. But those monotonous jobs can be critical steppingstones toward greater opportunities.
- Intellectual Worries
Intelligent people are naturally worrisome. They’re prone to anxiety, self-doubt, and negative thinking. Why? Because intelligent people are adept at recognizing the world’s failures. A more powerful mind is a heavy burden. You’re more likely to notice the misfortunes in the world around you, and those misfortunes may affect your mood, your attitude, and your perspective on the world.
But we’re all living in the same world, right? What do highly intelligent people worry about that we don’t? Their worries are not necessarily more technical, more academic, or more profound than the average person’s. It’s not the quality of their worries that changes; it’s the quantity.
Intelligent people worry about a larger variety of things from a wider range of disciplines. In other words, they spend more time thinking and worrying about more things. This can be a useful skill in professional and academic settings. It proves you’re observant, flexible, and perceptive, which allows you to tackle unique and complicated challenges. But when you don’t have a problem to solve, those same qualities send your nerves into a frenzy.
- Biases and Blind Spots
Everyone has intellectual blind spots. There will always be something you don’t know—some perspective you don’t understand. Of course, if you don’t know something, how do you know that you don’t know it?
Highly intelligent people assume their blind spots are smaller than the rest of the world’s. They believe they are immune to the biases and paradoxes that govern our psychology. But the truth is… they’re not.
Highly intelligent people are more likely to ignore their blind spots. They believe they know more than most people, so they neglect obvious flaws. Even if they can recognize complex issues in other people, it requires incredible self-reflection to recognize the same issues in yourself. If you’re a highly intelligent person, you may not know what your blind spots are, but try to remember that you have them. No matter how intelligent you are, there will always be something you don’t know or understand.
- Interpersonal Friction
Intelligent people struggle in groups—not because they can’t do the work, but because they don’t trust their teammates. You may have had an experience like this before. You’ve been assigned to a team, and your team is given a project. You have a personal vision for this project, but you don’t think your group can create the product you envision. You fear they’re going to make mistakes. You worry that they will give up too easily. You want the product to be perfect, but you think you are the only one capable of meeting your high standards.
Intelligent people frequently overburden themselves with responsibilities. Because they want to do everything on their own, they hesitate to cooperate, delegate, or compromise with teammates. They get frustrated with their teams, and they often experience regret when someone doesn’t hold up their end of the bargain.
If you’re a highly intelligent person, teamwork may not be your strong suit. You may be a lone wolf, who likes to work your own way. If you had a choice, you’d tackle every project all on your own. But there’s only so much one person can handle. If you’re an intelligent person, here’s a pill you’ll need to swallow. No matter how smart you are, you need other people to find success.
- Intelligence vs. Wisdom
What’s the difference between intelligence and wisdom? An intelligent person knows how to do something. They have memorized techniques. They’ve read books and solved problems the way they’re supposed to; but a wise person knows something a smart person doesn’t always understand. A wise person knows how to solve a problem… but they also understand why that problem matters.
Many smart and successful people confuse intelligence with wisdom. You’re focused on achieving results. You’re trying to expand the breadth of your knowledge. You’re learning as much as you can, but you struggle to put your new knowledge into practice. You may be able to pass every test and write every paper, but in the real world… you feel lost like everyone else.
For intelligent people, it’s important to look below the surface. You may be able to memorize hundreds of numbers in 60 seconds. You may solve complicated equations in the blink of an eye. But if you don’t understand why you do the things you do—or learn the things you learn—your intelligence isn’t going to get you very far.
- Skipping the Basics
Imagine you’re learning how to swim. You’ve never swam in a pool before, but you’re an athletic person. So, what do you do? You skip the swimming lessons, and you dive into the deep end. But it doesn’t matter how athletic you are, if you don’t know how to swim, you’re going to sink.
Intelligent people “sink” on a regular basis. They frequently ignore the basics and assume they’re more advanced than the average person. But if you never learn the basics, your intelligence doesn’t really matter. You’re going to fail either way.
If you’re an intelligent person, don’t roll your eyes at directions, tutorials, and introductory lessons. You may think you know better. You may think you’re too smart for the basics, but here’s the truth: everyone starts from zero.
- Too Many Angles
Not every problem requires an intelligent mind. Some problems are simple and straightforward. The answer is right in front of you, and the more you think about it… the more confused you get.
Highly intelligent people intellectualize every problem they face. They view each obstacle from as many different angles as they can. They predict hypothetical situations and troubleshoot irrational problems. Ultimately, they make poor, insecure decisions. Why? Because they’re thinking too hard.
Sometimes it pays to see all the angles. Other times, the best thing you can do is be confident in the solution that’s right in front of you. If you’re a highly intelligent person, try to remember this: thinking isn’t always the answer. In many scenarios, it pays to go with your gut. As smart as you are, you don’t need to invest 100% of your brainpower into every mundane problem. Instead, you should learn to trust your instincts. You may discover you make better decisions… when you spend less time thinking.
