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Embrace Your Stupid Side
We all have one. Smart people know that.
There is ample advice out there to help you access your inner genius, from Wayne Dyer to Forbes. I’m all for it. Who doesn’t want to be their smartest, most creative self?
But the decades I’ve spent on this planet have convinced me of this: the search for your native brilliance is likely to veer into a cul-de-sac if you fail to do one thing:
Acknowledge your stupidity.
I know, “stupidity” is a harsh word. And I am not for one moment suggesting you use it to denigrate yourself. The point here is not to rain on your parade, but to cut through the fog that may otherwise be dampening it.
Because we are all stupid in one way or another. It goes with being human. Think of the smartest person you know personally. I say “personally” because you need to be familiar enough with them beyond what I call their presentation self, the polished-to-a-shine version of themselves that gives the Ted Talk or leads the staff meeting or sits across from you in your therapy sessions exuding wisdom and inner calm.
If you’ve thought about your brainy friend or coworker for more than five seconds, I’ll bet the rent that you can come up with an area in which they are clueless. Maybe they’re hopeless at directions, or suck at small talk, or never manage to get…
