An excerpt from a kind review of Curse of the High IQ:
Pretending IQ doesn’t matter might be great for the self-esteem of the
average kid, but it also means some of us just don’t understand why we
go through life feeling like we are stuck in traffic all the time. And
when we do understand that, then ways to actually make use of that
excess time and energy begins to suggest themselves. Knowing where on
the bell curve you sit can help you find new reserves of patience and
confidence. Learning that I was in the 99.4 percentile of human
learning and processing capability suddenly changed my game, because I
realized that I could be doing a lot more, and making much better money…
which is leading me to make some serious shifts in how I do business.
Knowing where on the bell curve you sit can help you find new reserves of patience and confidence. Learning that I was in the 99.4 percentile of human learning and processing capability suddenly changed my game...
ReplyDeleteAin't that the truth. I ballpark (via online IQ testing) at 145, and being reminded of that (I always tested high as a kid, but somehow lost sight of it) has definitely sharpened my focus.
BTW, any recommendations on the best place(s) to get a more accurate test?
IQ doesn't matter nearly as much as determination and work ethic. IQ only matters if you're above a certain threshold.
ReplyDeleteIQ determines how much mileage you get for your determination.
ReplyDeleteTo be brutally honest, IQ doesn’t really give that much of an advantage once you’re above a minimum threshold. Being in the 99 percentile of work-ethic, belief in self and determination is going to take you a lot farther in life than what score you got on some test. Most of the great challenges in life are marathons and not sprints and what you got on a test that lasted a few hours means almost nothing.
ReplyDeleteIf you tackle a difficult unsolved problem in business, or mathematics, or an academic field with the notion that simply having a high IQ is going to carry you through it with minimal difficulty, then you’re in for a world of hurt and disappointment. You’ll wind up defeated, depressed, and with nothing to show for it but bags under your eyes, empty liquor bottles and crumpled-up pieces of paper that told you how smart you were. The determining factor at that point as to whether you’ll succeed is if you have the bloodthirsty grit and tortured determination to keep going. If you don’t, then the piece of paper that told you that you were smart doesn’t mean anything.
The confidence and expectations you have for yourself should not depend on what some piece of paper says about you. You should have a sharp focus, belief in yourself and confidence in your abilities REGARDLESS of what the piece of paper says and REGARDLESS of what others think about you.
In the 48 laws of power, Law #1 is never outshine the Master.
ReplyDeleteif you have an hi IQ, playing dumb, becomes VERY tiring.
Quoting big bang's Sheldon cooper, "I cry because people are stupid and it makes me sad."
ReplyDeleteSometimes I get mad because most people are ignorant and too lazy to become as smart as they could be, but then I remember that the majority of people have been content to be ignorant and lazy throughout history; so I don't fault the ignorant and lazy in my lifetime; I just try not to be affected by them.
David the book is called the curse of high IQ. Emphasis on the word curse. Your not saying anything that isn't already in the book.
ReplyDeleteWhat's you're IQ Dave? Lots of words to say simple things. Just wondering if you have a mediocre liberal arts degree and are running cover for it.
ReplyDeleteHi randy,
ReplyDeleteEh, there's official MENSA places that test, but if you're bucking 145 in non-official tests, you can safely assume you're at least 2 standard deviations above the mean. It won't affect your life any different.
Yeah, once you're a couple SDs beyond the mean, you're pretty safely in the weird zone. Add another and you just get really, really weird. The big shift from normal people, and the big challenges, happen below that level.
ReplyDeleteKeep the books coming, Aaron! I'll keep buying.
ReplyDeleteHigh IQ is like four-wheel drive... it means getting stuck in more inaccessible places (and often surrounded by hostile locals).
ReplyDelete