Intelligence only works if...

Thomas Edison was no fool but he was less a genius than you might think. He was doggedly determined, patient, persistent to the point of annoyance, a hard nosed business man, ruthless in cutting down opponents and sucked up to whoever would further his interests. So why call him a genius?

Why call anyone a genius? If they’ve got a high IQ they should be leader of the pack, top dog, king of the hill, breezing through life like a warm spring breeze above the daffodils.

Well you know that isn’t so, so what happened to the IQ genius?

A lot of them got bored with an education system that didn’t recognize them. Others had a home life that prevented their talent from showing. Some had no discipline or drive to achieve anything. Some had big talent in areas they couldn’t access because of life’s direction.

“Yeah, yeah, so what about the ones that do make it; the bright sparks that get to the top?”

As Edison said, “genius is ninety-nine percent perspiration.” He was wrong in the figure but right in the message.

The people who make it big do so because of effort, with some talent thrown in.

You’ve heard of the over-night-success who took 15 years to get there. No talented performer has walked on stage to give a knock out performance without practicing often and refining their art.

No inventor ‘just did it’. It took experiment and perseverance, marketing, contacts, money, waiting, oh so much. Ask any inventor.

To make it to the top, you have to persist, believe, work cleverly, practice, ’know’ you’ll make it, and persist till you do. Talent alone won’t do it!

There are hungry geniuses walking the streets. They’ll never be known. And at the top we get those who applied their talent and learned the skills needed to be able to develop it. You don’t have to be a genius to get all you want. It definitely helps but the effort put behind it is the difference.

Common factors behind the successfully intelligent are

• their environment
• a teacher
• study to a purpose
• self discipline and
• persistent effort.

Let’s clarify these to see if you can improve your life with the intelligence you have. You know you can. It’s just a matter of guidance (teacher) and action (effort).

You will get more done in an environment that you’re happy with. Damned obvious, so why do so many people try to study or work in conditions that are hopeless? Noises, interruptions, lack of space, tension, all kill your output. Do something about it.

Tell everybody what you’re doing and why, then set some rules. Don’t accept phone calls after a certain hour. Close the door, buy a latch, go to a friends’ house. Rent someone’s garage. Get the right environment.

Your purpose is to win the prize, top the class, fulfill your dream, be self employed, own your home, have a million dollars, or write songs, your call. Whatever you do; there’s a purpose, a goal behind it. Even when you go out to play, there is purpose.

Be sure of your purpose. Make it your consuming interest, your intent, your great reason. You have to be dedicated to the task. Live it. Write and repeat affirmations to help. Carry a notebook for those illuminated thoughts that come unexpectedly in times when you relax. Relaxation time after effort is when your subconscious gives you answers. Be ready. Work toward your goal. It should be constantly in mind.

Self discipline comes with the amount of dedication you have in your purpose. If you believe in your goal and ability to get there, you’ll settle into a regimen of regular times and courses of action to get there.

Your teacher is an outside observer to remind and guide you, prompt and reinforce, help keep you on track. Your information comes from your teacher and anybody else who knows what you don’t. Your teachers are everywhere. The net is your library.

It’s amazing what single mindedness can achieve. A calm determination without stress is the right attitude. Stress or worry only confuses your progress. Treat every obstacle as a minor detail to be dealt with. Obstacles are further opportunities to learn. Deal with them kindly, knowing you are the master. Obstacles are clever but their secrets will make you stronger.

Genius, intelligence, natural ability, all need direction and refinement, and this means effort to get the best from your talents.

*****
Housekeeping Dept. Not this week.

Wit Or Wisdom.

Once again from the Massachusetts Bar Association Lawyer's Journal (I haven't checked this. It was sent to me as a floating net piece.)

• 5. "Was it you or your younger brother who was killed in the war?"
  
  
• 6. "Did he kill you?"

7 "How far apart were the vehicles at the time of collision?"

• 8. "You were there until the time you left, is that true?"
  
  
• 9. "How many times have you committed suicide?"
  
  
• 10.Q: "So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th?"
• A: "Yes."
• Q: "And what were you doing at that time?"
  

11.
Q: "She had three children, right?"
A: "Yes."
Q: "How many were boys?"
A: "None."
Q: "Were there any girls?"

12.
Q: "You say the stairs went down to the basement?"
A: "Yes."
Q: "And these stairs, did they go up also?"

13.
Q: "Mr. Slatery, you went on a rather elaborate honeymoon,
didn't' t you?"
A: "We went to Europe, sir."
Q: "And you took your new wife?"

14.
Q: "How was your first marriage terminated?"
A: "By death."
Q: "And by who's death was it terminated?"

15.
Q: "Can you describe the individual?"
A: "He was about medium height and had a beard."
Q: "Was this a male or a female?"

16.
Q: "Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a
deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?"
A: "No, this is how I dress when I go to work."

17.
Q: "Doctor, how many autopsies have you performed on dead
people?"
A: "All my autopsies are performed on dead people."

18.

Q: "All your responses must be oral, okay? What school did
you go to?"
A: "Oral."

19.
Q: "Do you recall the time you examined the body?"
A: "The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m.."
Q: "And Mr. Dennington was dead at the time?"
A: "No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was
doing an autopsy."

20.
Q: "You were not shot in the fracas?"
A: "No, I was shot midway between the fracas and the navel."

21.
Q: "Are you qualified to give a urine sample?"
A: "I have been since early childhood."

Be good to each other, Jay Ross.