'Intelligent' Shouldn't Be Part Of Your Identity

Don't consider yourself 'intelligent'. Nothing good can come of it. Rather than motivate yourself, you will encounter far more moments of personal disappointment.

Don't even ‘aim to be intelligent'. That is the same thing as intelligence being part of your self-image. Your mind is not powerful enough to make the distinction between the two; you will end up fooling yourself. Leave others to decide whether you are intelligent or not. Don't trouble yourself with it. Rather, focus on your actions; what you truly control.

Become someone that learns. Someone that reflects. A thinker. Take on projects that build your problem-solving skills. Read. Write. These are all actions. In this case, you don't tell yourself you are a certain way; you tell yourself you are someone that performs certain actions.

Attaching specific outcomes to something as crucial and intricate as your own identity is messy. Why is intelligence an outcome and not an input? Because it is a specific metric derived from relative circumstances: the environment you are currently operating in, including other actors (people). If your ‘relative intelligence score’ falters you are suddenly at risk: the mind’s foundation will shake as it tries to reconcile a distastefully unfolding reality with your preconceived notions of who you are and what you are capable of.

Of course, unless you fully kill the ego, it is impossible to eliminate ideas you subconsciously attach to your identity; it happens without your knowing. Lucky for us, the conscious mind is not fully defenceless against the subconscious. Even just planting and affirming ideas in your head, such as the one I am introducing to you in this post, can help fight a strong personal narrative. It works best as a vaccine; administered before a self identity crisis begins. Then, when it is needed, your mind will withdrawal it from the thought vaults.

This applies in all aspects of identity: focus on what you do, not who you are.