hey everyone and welcome to top think today we're going to learn about 10 signs of a truly
brilliant person now let's begin number one intellectual flexibility do you know someone
who's a walking encyclopedia someone who riddles off facts like the back of their hand these people
seem to know everything about everything so we see them as highly intelligent they're admired
for their intellect but many encyclopedic people aren't as smart as they seem our society frames
intelligence as something logical scientific and numerical people with good memories are
treated like brilliant innovators but memory can be misleading memorizing facts doesn't make you an
intelligent person you may be knowledgeable and well informed but not necessarily smart
memory is one small aspect of intelligence many encyclopedic people struggle when you push them
outside their areas of expertise why because they can no longer rely on their memories
brilliant people thrive across the board they don't know everything about everything they
make mistakes and they get facts wrong but their thinking is flexible and it's sharp
brilliant people can solve a wide variety of problems tackle unknowns and
synthesize new information they innovate solutions instead of mimicking others
someone may seem to know everything but truly brilliant people have more than just a good
memory number two the circle of discipline how does self-control relate to intelligence
the two seem like entirely different subjects right but one can hardly exist without the
other self-control builds your intelligence and intelligence improves your self-control
so how do you know if someone is truly brilliant they have an astounding sense of discipline they
look into the future before making decisions they weigh their long-term goals and ambitions
and they have the forethought to control their behavior when it counts
you'll find that intelligent people wage an active war against their bad habits they're always
looking for new ways to be productive they shape new routines they incorporate motivational habits
and they reject devices that bring them down brilliant people are often patient and disciplined
just as disciplined people are often sharp and wise number three thriving in solitude
do intelligent people socialize are they more or less social than the average person the
answer is a little confusing for now let's think about intelligence as a scale from zero to one
people below 50 struggle socially they have a difficult time understanding others which creates
conflict in their social lives people between 50 and 90 are usually successful in the social world
they can navigate a wide variety of environments and use their emotional intelligence to bond with
others but what about people at the top of the spectrum from 90 to 100 there's a significant
drop in social success this comes from a 2016 study in the british journal of psychology
researchers found that brilliant people struggle to maintain social relationships so what's wrong
why aren't brilliant people making friends with so much brain power socializing should be easy right
brilliant people can form friendships and relationships but they prefer to be alone
highly intelligent people thrive on their own they like to socialize every once in a while
but most brilliant people are diehard introverts
number four communication confusion introversion is not the only reason brilliant people spend
their time alone if you're a brilliant person this may sound familiar extremely intelligent
people are misunderstood on a daily basis when they communicate with others their thoughts fly
over people's heads now we're not talking about philosophical questions and scientific mysteries
we're talking about basic communication brilliant people think differently than
the rest of the world they notice different patterns they use different lines of logic
they observe prioritize and respond to things that others just might overlook a brilliant person may
try for example to explain their emotions to a friend yet their friend doesn't understand 90 of
what they're saying these misunderstandings can be frustrating and lonely that's why brilliant people
spend their time with other brilliant people the average person just doesn't understand them but
other intelligent people do this is another sign that you or someone you know is truly brilliant
if you click with someone who's hyper intelligent you're likely in the same boat
hyper-intelligent people attract each other because brilliant people understand each other
better than anyone number five challenges in change how do you react to change
do you stubbornly resist or do you embrace change when it comes brilliant people understand that
change is unavoidable careers change friendships change environments change but why can't things
stay the same why do brilliant people like change because change exposes us to new experiences
change teaches you lessons you never would have learned otherwise it's comfortable and easy to
keep things the way they are change is a challenge but brilliant people love to be challenged they're
never satisfied they never settle and they're always searching for opportunities to grow
number six the humility of failure can you admit when you're wrong are you embarrassed by your
mistakes most of the world gets defensive when they fail there's a common misconception that
failing means you're stupid weak or lazy society assumes that all successful people are intelligent
while anyone who fails is not that just isn't true but the possibility still scares us
most people are terrified of failure they don't want to look stupid they're worried the world will
think less of them and they might be right but brilliant people know a single truth about success
every successful person was once a failure they failed again and again for many years until
finally they found success they became brilliant not because of their memory
problem solving or cleverness their most brilliant quality was their humility a brilliant person owns
and admits their mistakes a brilliant person takes risks but recognizes when they've lost
most of all a brilliant person doesn't view failure as an attack on their intelligence
instead they see failure as a chance to improve and succeed the next time around
number seven freedom in diversity brilliant people are always tinkering one week they're diving into
the analogs of history the next they're exploring complex mechanics or learning a new language
to a brilliant person these projects are a form of freedom they satisfy their curiosity
and expand their horizons each project widens their perspective by challenging them to do
something they've never done before over the years brilliant people accrue a huge bank of knowledge
skills and talents a project may only last a week but that knowledge can last a lifetime
down the road brilliant people apply their diverse interests in fascinating and innovative
ways their projects bleed into their work and their passions flourish fueled by dozens upon
dozens of miscellaneous ideas does this sound like someone you know maybe you're the kind of
person who has too many hobbies if the answer is yes you or someone you know may be truly brilliant
number eight insightful listening do intelligent people spend more time talking or listening we
expect intelligent people to talk more than they listen after all they have the most intelligent
things to say but the truth is brilliant people spend most of their time with their mouth closed
brilliant people are extraordinary listeners they could ramble and monologue but instead they let
others talk they're receptive to new perspectives they're quiet and patient no matter what subject
you want to talk about but what separates a brilliant listener from any other quiet person
it's their questions when a brilliant person finally does open their mouth they re-ignite
the conversation with insightful and stimulating questions they don't just listen to your points
they build upon them thanks to this quality brilliant people make great conversationalists
they don't mind when other people talk about themselves intelligent people can
find an interesting angle anywhere best of all a brilliant person makes you feel interested
and involved they don't talk at you or above you they talk with you exchanging ideas and covering
new ground so think about your favorite people to talk to why do you love talking to them are
they active and insightful listeners if they are they may be highly intelligent
number nine bizarre exploration we talked about how many projects a brilliant person has
but the nature of those projects is even stranger it's common for highly intelligent people to adopt
obscure and mismatched hobbies why well because intelligent people enjoy exploring untouched and
bizarre subjects they're drawn to niche interests because these hobbies spark their curiosity
most strange hobbies are also creative complicated and confusing they're done
best in solitude and require lots of research all of these things attract intelligent people
so don't be surprised if the smartest people you know have some strange hobbies
number 10 the price of perceptiveness many brilliant people have exceptional observational
skills paired with high emotional intelligence they're perceptive in a way most people are not
this perceptiveness is one of their greatest strengths and one of their greatest weaknesses
on the strong side brilliant people notice cues and signals that others overlook
they're the first to identify changes in their environment they'll notice subtle shifts in mood
atmosphere or body language these observations give them a social advantage and help them
better understand the world around them but perceptiveness comes at a price intelligent
people are labeled too emotional too anxious and too sensitive if you notice too much others
assume that you're looking too deep even if you're right people will not understand your observations
or feelings so if this sounds familiar the problem isn't you you're not too emotional
or too anxious or too sensitive you're just more intelligent than most hey thank you for
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