Are you tired of feeling like you don't know what people are talking
about? Do people tease you for not being very smart? Intelligence isn't
just something you're born with; you can make yourself smarter with a
little hard work!
Aim to educate yourself.
Keep in mind education isn't the junk you are forced to do in school for
diplomas and degrees; it's an understanding of the world around you.
People who are naturally curious for some reason begin to stop asking
questions the moment they hit school. The truly brilliant mind however,
always questions their world and tries to make sense out of it. That is
the secret to "genius".
Work on your vocabulary.
Use a few definitions from the dictionary
each day, or subscribe to a "word-of-the-day" service online. You can
also take the vocabulary tests in Readers Digest or buy a book on
increasing your working vocabulary. Read the dictionary one word at a
time. This will take you at least a year but you will grow
intellectually.
Read a variety of books.
Reading a lot is often described as the secret to intelligence. The
smartest people in the world tend to read every single day. You may not
always enjoy it, but reading will open up your mind to a variety of new
ideas and experiences. Keep your reading diverse by reading books of all
genres.
Educate yourself about the world around you.
Cultivate an interest in subjects like current events, interesting
facts, funny and inspiring quotations, good books and movies, scientific
studies and interesting inventions. Educational television, like PBS,
is a great way to learn. Learning to think critically about the world
around you by being aware of cause and effect in events will make you
much smarter.
- If you can read much faster than you can speak, it is much more
efficient to read a book, or better yet a non-linear electronic document
like a wiki than to watch a show for all but the most intellectually
demanding or video-dependent learning. Commercial television is
particularly bad because its ultimate purpose is to do just enough to
keep you at the TV and its ads, not satisfy you so you can do something
else.
Make connections.
Find uses for information, rather
than just collecting useless trivia. Burying information somewhere deep
in your brain is not useful; you have to be able to access it in
situations. Think of situations in which a piece of information will
make sense. Then share it and watch it grow!
Learn a new language.
Apart from being a linguistic
exercise, it may bring you into contact with new people and ideas. You
may feel less of a stranger when you visit a place and you know some of
the language. Also, at some point you will realize that there are some
phrases or concepts in other languages that have no direct translation
in English! This can be a challenging and fun exercise for the mind.
(Note, try to be patient and positive when studying a language as it may
take time to reach the level you desire.)
Visit new places as much as you can.
Try to visit other countries too. Visiting cities in your country or in
a different one gives you a open mind and teaches you about the
universe. You will be able to understand other cultures (how people live
in a different place, how they behave with each other, how they live
and so on). You will also be able to understand that there is so much to
see and do anywhere. You will be fascinated on how there are so many
different people and cultures in the world. That will make you smart and
interesting.
Be open-minded and willing to learn new things.
Just because you're great at one thing doesn't mean you have to stick to it! Find ways to step out of your comfort zone. This is where the learning happens.
Always ask questions.
Asking questions and questioning everything around us constantly is what
makes us smarter. There's nothing wrong with not knowing the whys or
the hows! Everybody has something that they don't know. But by
developing a healthy habit about asking when you don't know something,
you'll find yourself getting smarter and smarter.
Set goals
once a week. Ask yourself during each goal-setting session, how many of last week's goals did I achieve? Why didn't I accomplish some of my goals and what can I do to give myself a greater chance of success?
Constantly work hard to achieve each of your goals. Without goals, you would have nothing to hope for. Reward yourself after accomplishing your goal.
Be organized. You don't need to be a total neat freak, but wasting time is not smart. Of course, there are many geniuses who are completely disorganized (think of the absent-minded professor) but if you're making an active effort to be smart, taking a conscious approach to how you spend your time is a big step in the right direction.
Devote time to education.
Educating yourself takes time, and if you want to get smarter it is
going to require effort. Don’t expect it to happen overnight. You need
to spend a lot of time actively thinking and learning if you want to
really be smart.
Always learn.
There are
many sources of information out there. For example: books,
documentaries, and the internet. School is just one source of
information. If you have straight A's, that doesn't mean that you are
smart. Exercising an open mind will make you more intelligent and
constantly learning will help you get there.
Work on puzzles like the Rubik's cube.
Doing puzzles like these will keep your brain working and increase your
mental capabilities. Your brain is like a muscle: you have to exercise
it!
- Sudoku is a great puzzle to try to solve and it expands your
thinking. These can be purchased in books, are often printed in
newspapers, and are easily found for free online.
Do artistic activities.
Drawing, sculpting, painting and other arts unleash your creative side
and expand your problem solving skills. A creative brain can think
outside the box to find ways to get things done better and faster.
Do math. Learn how to do mental sums or speed math.
The hard thinking that is required for math will make your brain work
hard and help develop the connections that will help you think better
and faster.
Write stories or poetry.
Creative writing forces your
brain to work on inventing situations and dialogue, characters and
environments. This will make you a better thinker and help you process
information. Using language like this will also improve your vocabulary
and speech. Writing is also a fantastic way of expressing yourself and
your thoughts.
Simplify.
Talking about
things that no one else can understand does not make you smart. Genius
is the ability to translate the complex into the simple. Practice
explaining concepts to others. See just how simple and clear you can
make your explanations. If someone doesn't understand you, it is not
their fault for being ignorant, it is your fault for being inarticulate.
Learn to listen carefully to others' opinions about controversial things, or things they know about and you do not.
You do not have to agree with them but remember everybody has something
to teach you. Asking questions may allow you to re-evaluate your own
beliefs, or point out the flaws in theirs. Keep an open mind. The more
intelligent you are the more questions you will ask of the people around
you.
Be nice to people.
Practicing kindness in the face of challenges is a sign of maturity,
class and intelligence. Remember that you also have a lot to learn from
other people. Being kind to them will allow you access to their lives
and experience. Who knows what you might learn?