How to Unsmart Yourself

And stop being “the gifted child” even if you are way over 25.

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

You have been the smart kid in school, right? High expectations, high grades, a lot of control — both parental and self, and everyone was like, “oh, this kid will become something big later on.”

If you are reading this story, chances are you did not.

Also, chances are that you are stuck in an endless loop of a boring job, infinite hobbies, and side hustles that you start and never properly finish (because perfection is the key to success), multiplied by something like light to moderate ADHD or BPD.

Finally, you kind of want to change everything, but you are constantly stuck midway or even at 20%.

Ok, lesson one: your grades do not matter anymore.

Applications do.

Knowing (or being taught how to do something) does not actually mean you can do that. You see, I theoretically know how nuclear reactors are built. Can I make one in my garage? Probably not, because it would require many things and some actual experience.

So here is the takeaway: applied knowledge matters. Theoretical — not so much. Learn to differentiate between what you can really do and what you think you can do. Do the first…