\u201cI\u2019m not smart,\u201d she said, her eyes wide with pain.<\/p>\n
I never get used to the heartbreaking words I often hear from the little brown couch in my counseling office. Labels can be difficult to peel off once they stick. We wear beliefs about ourselves like tattoos \u2013 messages about who we are that have become a part of our identity.<\/p>\n
Intelligence is no exception. Somehow \u201csmart\u201d has become something that we either are or are not. It\u2019s easy to understand how our perspective has been shaped the way it has. After all, most schools and many workplaces tend to measure and celebrate a very specific kind of intelligence. Not all of us have been given a safe place to display our particular brand of \u201csmart.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scores and rankings fail to define a person. Who we are cannot be described with a number. Maybe it\u2019s time to acknowledge that we need a broader definition of what it means to be intelligent. Perhaps it\u2019s time to stop asking ourselves if we are smart or not, and start asking what types of genius we see in others and ourselves.<\/p>\n
We are wise to consider different types of intelligence in order to better appreciate one another for the people we are instead of how we perform. Some of us think easily in terms of numbers and reasoning. Others of us are skilled in understanding our own thoughts and feelings and how people interact with each other. Some of us are able to ponder deep questions about life\u2019s meaning and others can understand space and organization. While still others are musically inclined and have an ear for pitch and others have unique body awareness and coordination.<\/p>\n
When it comes to intelligence, it\u2019s not a matter of \u201cif.\u201d It\u2019s a matter of \u201chow.\u201d Intelligence isn\u2019t about measuring people, it\u2019s about appreciating people \u2013 noticing one another\u2019s gifts.<\/p>\n
Seeing one another for who we are and the unique talents that we have to contribute changes the way we interact with each other and ourselves in a variety of ways.<\/p>\n
To continue reading, head over to Darling Magazine<\/a>!<\/em><\/p>\n
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