ANOLENE THANGAVELU PILLAY
Being smart is wonderful, but it is not something that happens overnight.
You must develop habits that will groom your thinking and feed your mind with intelligence. I became fascinated with the idea of forming a smart habit. I started with the easiest question: What is a habit?
We learn that a habit is a behaviour repeated regularly, either an action, a routine or a lifestyle. Are you familiar with the actions you repeat? If you are familiar with the actions, these are your habits.
In this article, I share my insights on habits that can help you become your smartest self if you are willing to work towards a smarter you.
Rule 21/90 in psychology says it takes 21 days to form a habit and 90 days to form a permanent lifestyle change. Whether you like it or not, our everyday habits have a powerful effect on our brain, changing the way we think.
Many of the world’s most brilliant scientific minds were fantastically strange. Is this the secret to thinking as a genius? Well, we must realise that the strange habits of a genius might not work for us and that all of us are wired differently. We choose smart habits that best suit our personal lifestyles.
The key to adopting smart habits lies in knowing that curiosity has its own reason to exist. Never stop questioning; question everything!
All smart individuals were once beginners. Scientists believe that by blindly following the crowd, individuals fail to use their own thinking. As a result, poor choices and irrational decisions are made. Individuals should form an opinion according to their own judgement.
Individuals can form decisions for themselves while keeping their eyes and mind open. Some individuals are born smart. Most smart individuals take on the challenge of developing everyday habits to maintain their smartness.
Research shows that by finding passion in learning, life will never stop teaching you habits that will help you become smarter. Discover what reading topics interests you. Individuals will find it easier to stay engaged on a topic that interests them, whether it is a podcast or a newspaper. Interesting topics excite the mind, and feed your mind well with topics that it will enjoy.
Of course, individual intelligence will be improved, even if you read just a few pages every day – serious reading, not celebrity gossip.
Sometimes the greatest rewards in life come from doing the things you fear most. This prepares you to better face the challenges life throws at you. Get involved in smart habits that strengthen discipline by doing what you should do in terms of nutrition, exercise and sleep.
Being smart is learning from experience, fixing mistakes and dealing with the situation differently if we are in a similar situation. Be aware of what information your mind takes in, everything you take in can either inspire or damage your mind.
New studies suggest that television and social media should be replaced with online learning. Spend your additional time on something more fruitful. The internet is packed with impressive learning material. It is a small habit, but a big win if you can feed your brain and grow your career and life at the same time.
Read something that you would not normally read. Every day, watch online and other media for life suggestions, interests or other sources that fall off your regular path. Indirectly, you are absorbing the intelligence you could not otherwise have gained.
Learning something new is always awesome, but sharing this knowledge makes learning useful and meaningful. Get the most out of your new knowledge; there is no point in learning anything unless it shapes you into being smarter.
Smart individuals value time. They do not entertain gossip or try to impress others but focus on mental and physical well-being. The individuals apply their knowledge, not to become an individual of success but rather to be an individual of value.
Recent studies have found that the people you spend time with reflect who you are. The smarter the individual, the more selective they become – having fewer friends than the average individual.
Surround yourself with individuals smarter than you. They have exciting topics and interesting stories to talk about. They know how to sharpen their mind and feed their brain, so spending time with them is beneficial for you on multiple levels.
A determined mind and a strong willpower will see that every day begins with endless possibilities. Imagination is the start of creating a dream life. Take risks! We begin to understand the miracle of life when we allow the unexpected to happen.
Start developing that smart habit today and see how your thinking improves tomorrow.
Anolene Thangavelu Pillay is a Psychology Advisor.
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