There is a downside to everything, including being smart.

My experience is, the smarter you are, the more arguments you make.

That doesn’t necessarily mean you argue a lot; it means you are capable of making more arguments than those less brilliant.

The less brilliant of us tend to make the same arguments over and over again, whereas the real smart folks can produce a plethora of points of view.

Smart or not, we all seem to have the ability to argue for our limitations. The smart person just has more positions from which to defend themselves. Therein lies the rub.

I was talking to my niece last month and found myself spontaneously saying, “I find that smarter people are harder to reach.” That’s when it became apparent to me that they use their enhanced intellect to surround themselves with enough logical positions as to be impenetrable.

I was reminded of a powerful line I read in a Daniel Quinn book called “Ishmael“ – “There is no argument powerful enough to end the argument.”

A more accurate statement on my part would have been, “Smarter people are harder to reach logically.” They have too many defenses and rebuttals for logic to be effective.

The way for arguments to cease is to have no arguments. A smart person is brilliant enough to argue all sides of the argument and can take up all of their intellectual real estate with making arguments, leaving no room for solutions.

The way to stop arguing with yourself is to notice that you are arguing. When you notice more, the arguments become less and less. You are creating space for an answer that will solve your dilemma.

Smart people are used to leaning on their intellect to solve everything. When it comes to changing their life, they’re leaning in the wrong direction. They are not smart enough to know that wisdom comes from a quieter, less educated space.

Matthew 6:28 reminds us: “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin.”

Stop making arguments and stop spinning out the logic that locks you into your positions. This intellectual “time out” will get you out of the corner.

All the best,

John

LOSE WEIGHT & KEEP IT OFF
STOP SMOKING FOREVER
SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT EVERY NIGHT
IMPROVE YOUR SELF CONFIDENCE
I LOVE MY BODY
RELAX IN 2 MINUTES
FEEL FOREVER YOUNG
VIRTUAL MASSAGE