Hey everyone, and welcome to TopThink. Today, we are going to learn about 7 phrases that
smart people never say. Now, let’s begin.
1. I’m a Smart Person Smart people never comment
on their own intelligence. They don’t say, “I’m smarter than you,” or, “I’m the smartest person
I know.” They don’t brag about how intelligent they are, because they don’t need to. Their
intelligence is obvious to everyone they meet. But more importantly, they don’t need the validation
of others to know how intelligent they are. If you hear someone say, “I’m a smart person,”
they may be insecure about their intelligence. They want other people to acknowledge their
intelligence. They’re trying to convince the world that they are as intelligent as they say,
but deep down… they don’t believe it themselves. Instead of commenting on their intelligence,
really smart people emphasize how little they know. You could spend your life ingesting
knowledge, and you wouldn’t absorb even a fraction of what this world has to offer.
Even the smartest people don’t know everything, and they’re not afraid to admit it.
If you listen to the brightest minds, you’ll discover a common theme.
They grossly under-state their intelligence. They never brag about their IQ or advertise
their accomplishments, because a smart person recognizes how much they need to learn.
2. It’s Not Fair If you expect life to be fair, I’ve got some
bad news for you. It isn’t fair, and it never will be. You can work for years at something, giving it
everything you’ve, but one day, you may crash and burn. Is that fair? No. But it happens every day.
Intelligent people never complain about how unfair life can be. They don’t whine or complain
when something goes poorly. They don’t think they deserve anything more than anyone else. Because
smart people know that failure is inevitable. Most things won’t work out the way you expect.
Most of your ideas and projects will fail, but that’s what makes life interesting, surprising,
and rewarding. Unless you get something wrong, you will never get something right.
Instead of complaining about their failures, intelligent people find ways to succeed. They
reflect on what went wrong, and they ask themselves: “why didn’t things go my way?
What could I have done differently? In what areas do I need to improve?”
Someone who expects success to fall into their laps is not going to find it. They
may spend their whole lives waiting for chances they think they deserve.
Meanwhile, intelligent people are creating their own opportunities and learning from failure.
When they fail, smart people never say, “It’s not fair!” Instead,
they work harder and longer, because the only way to get anything in life… is to work for it.
3. Everyone Else Does It Intelligent people think for themselves.
They’re not followers or people pleasers. They don’t do what everyone else is doing.
In other words, intelligent people don’t value popularity. They ignore fads, trends,
and brand names. Instead, intelligent people value their individuality. They don’t blend into
the background or copy the rest of the world. They stand up, and they stand out, because intelligent
people want to make their own choices. They like their own perspective, and they embrace
the tastes and opinions that make them unique. This extends beyond fancy clothes and brand names.
Intelligent people aren’t afraid to represent their personal opinions either.
They don’t buy into every idea that’s popular, and they aren’t interested in echoing the mainstream.
That doesn’t mean intelligent people are rebellious, controversial, or argumentative.
It means they think about something before they believe it. They take the time to investigate
the ideas they represent, and they base their opinions on their own understanding.
In every aspect of their lives, intelligent people are trend setters,
not trend followers. They create their own path.
They discover their own beliefs, and they challenge the ideas many people blindly accept.
Just because everyone does something… doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do.
4. You Can’t Change My Mind We know intelligent people
form their own opinions, but that doesn’t mean they’re stubborn or narrow-minded.
In fact, intelligent people are astonishingly flexible in their ideas, opinions, and beliefs.
Many people are insecure about the ideas they represent. In some cases,
they don’t fully understand what they’re saying. Other times, they’re afraid of being wrong.
Either way, they adopt a stubborn, self-righteous perspective toward their opinions. They believe
everyone who disagrees with them is either mistaken or stupid. But the truth is… they’re
scared to consider the holes in their logic. They don’t want to think too hard about their ideas;
otherwise, those ideas may fall to pieces. A smart person likes to challenge their
beliefs. They play devil’s advocate. They read conflicting literature,
and they acknowledge their shortcomings, because they seek a fuller understanding of their ideas.
The only way to truly understand what you believe is to approach that belief from all
perspectives. If you aren’t willing to see the flaws in your ideas, you cannot understand them.
In other words, flexibility is the name of the game. No belief or opinion is bulletproof.
You have to adapt your thinking to understand what is true for you.
It’s important to have opinions. You should take a stance and argue for something you believe in;
but it’s equally important to understand conflicting perspectives.
Because the only way to know what you believe… is to understand what you don’t.
5. I Don’t Care Smart people never say,
“I don’t care.” They’re constantly curious, and they take an interest in everything they hear.
That’s why intelligent people can talk about any subject, even if they don’t know anything
about it. Familiar or unfamiliar, every topic offers an emotional or intellectual challenge.
It’s exciting, invigorating, and inspiring for intelligent people to learn new things. They
seek answers to their questions. They try to solve problems they don’t understand, and they make an
effort to fill the gaps in their knowledge. But that’s only one reason intelligent
people avoid comments like, “I don’t care.” Intellectually, these feelings of indifference
stifle the learning process, but they’re also destructive to your relationships. Let’s say
your friend tells you a story, but you respond, “I wasn’t listening” or “I couldn’t care less.” What
effect does your apathy have on other people? Apathy shows an absence of empathy. If you’re
unwilling to listen to another person, you’re unwilling to care
about them. You’re failing to show empathy for someone who wants to connect with you.
Intelligent people are highly empathetic, so they make an active effort to listen to,
connect with, and invest in the people they meet. If someone tells them a story,
they listen and ask open-ended questions. If someone wants to talk about a complicated idea,
they’re willing to challenge their thinking and expose themselves to a new perspective.
Intelligence is the opposite of indifference. In other words, people who don’t care to listen…
typically don’t care to learn. 6. I Can’t Do It
Have you ever heard someone say, “I just can’t do it?” So many people wave that white flag.
Before trying to succeed, they admit defeat. They assume they’re going to fail. They underestimate
their abilities, often because they’re intimidated by the obstacle in front of them.
That intimidation stems from a few different fears. Some people are
afraid of failure. Other people are afraid of disappointment or success.
Whatever they’re afraid of, they convince themselves that failure is the only option.
Once you believe you can’t do something, your fate is sealed. As soon as your mindset turns down,
your performance suffers, and your chances of success fall to zero.
Intelligent people believe they’re capable of anything. They’re not arrogant or naïve. They
don’t think they’re smarter, stronger, or more prepared than everyone else, but they do believe
in their ability to learn and adapt. They rarely throw in the towel, because difficult problems
inspire them to perform at their best. You may not know what you’re doing now,
but you can always learn. You can discover new techniques. You can ask other people for help.
You can follow in the footsteps of mentors who have mastered things you don’t understand.
Failure is often a state of mind, and intelligent people don’t want anything to do with it. They may
not know the answer to every question, but they do their best, no matter what challenge comes their
way. Even if these smart people fall flat on their faces, they always try to rise to the occasion.
7. Not My Fault Many people are afraid to take responsibility
for their mistakes. This is common among people who are insecure about their intelligence.
They don’t want to admit their failures, so they pass the blame. When something goes wrong,
they ignore or deflect the consequences of their actions. Why? Because their number
one priority is to preserve their ego. You might hear these defensive phrases
in the workplace. Let’s say you and your coworker are putting together a presentation.
You want to make something great—something that really blows your superiors away.
But your coworker is only interested in doing the bare minimum. You say the presentation
could use more work, but they say, “that’s not my problem. I did what I was supposed to do.”
Immediately, you know what kind of person you’re dealing with. They’re not interested in creating
something they’re proud of; they’re interested in protecting their egos from fault or blame.
They don’t take pride in the things they produce, and they only do what they’re told.
Intelligent people go out of their way to produce something great. They take pride in their work,
and they accept blame for their mistakes. Good or bad, a smart person always takes
responsibility for their work. Thank you for watching TopThink,
and be sure to subscribe, because more incredible content is on the way.