Growing up I had a view of smart that I didn’t fit into. It was focused around textbook learning and teacher praise. My view of it created a clear divide between those who were and those who weren’t. Unfortunately I was on the wrong side.

I enjoyed high school. I had great friends and played sports. I wasn’t one to take school that seriously. I never had a teacher push me to be better, they just put me into a category and let it be. I even had a “Guidance” Counselor tell me that I shouldn’t waste my time applying to 4-year colleges. I would never get in.

It is a good thing that I was stubborn because I applied to many 4-year colleges and was only rejected by one. Sorry, Mr. Tofte, but you were wrong.

After I completed my undergraduate degree I took a year off then, started my master’s degree.   It was in my master’s degree that I really started to love the idea of learning. This love of learning has followed me throughout my career.

Throughout my career people have told me how smart I am. I always deflect the praise and say, “I am not smart, I am a classic overachiever.”   This is really because my view of smart still went back to the textbook thing.

Since my son started school a few years ago, my view on smart has changed. While I still think people who excel in traditional learning as smart, I also believe that traditional learning holds brilliant minds back. Learning can happen in many different ways. For some of us, the idea of reading a textbook makes our palms sweat. We are active learners who excel with hands-on projects, learning by trial and error, and reading things that interest us.

We have a tendency to measure everyone the same.   Is a fish less great because it can’t climb a tree as well as a monkey? By doing this, we have categorized people incorrectly. We stifle creativity. We derail dreams. We set the bar too low.

The art of smart comes with the idea that harnessing how you learn and applying that to your life, will allow you to achieve great things.  It allows you to embrace the being smart. It allows people to see you in a different light.

Go get your Smart On!