Are You Too Clever For Success?
Online Success and You
I have just got back from Washington DC where I was attending Yanik Silver’s Underground Online Seminar. What an amazing event – truly the Best Underground Online Seminar ever and the first time I was a speaker. (The Young Moguls Day was a huge Success)
Michael Dunlop and and Vishen Lakhiani Enjoying Yanik Silver’s Underground Online Seminar Speakers Dinner
This was the 5th time in a row that I had attended Yanik’s event and I have to say Yanik’s Underground Secret Agents (Speakers) really delivered. Much Inspiration, Many Ideas and Lots of FUN
There will be more about The Underground Online Seminar on IncomeDiary.com in the coming weeks but for now I want to ask you a question:
Are You Too Clever For Success?
OK, it may appear a rather silly question but I was inspired Vishen Lakhiani (From MindValley.com) and his presentation in particular. You see Vishen proudly proclaimed to the audience that he was a C+ Student.
My personal view having seen Vishen speak at Underground Online Seminar is that he is appears more like an A Star Student than a C+ but I think the point Vishen was making is that you don’t have to be CLEVER in the ACADEMIC way in order to be SUCCESSFUL.
Now, don’t misunderstand, I am not saying it is wrong to be clever, of course that is good, but when being ‘too clever‘ gets in the way of your success you need to look out.
Being ‘too clever’ as defined by thefreedictionary.com is:
To be too confident of your own intelligence in a way that annoys other people
Personally I think being ‘too clever’ is nothing more or less than arrogance – and unnecessary confidence which stops people learning from people that they consider of lower intelligence to them.
Many of the most successful entrepreneurs I have met have Flunked School / Dropped out of College – yet have went on to create hugely successful businesses.
In my experience:
Successful Entrepreneurs are Smart, Capable and Confident in their abilities
Successful Entrepreneurs BUY Talent by hiring the A + Students!
Any of you who have been following my blogs for any length of time will know (and have noticed) I am Dyslexic. I try not too make too big a deal of it – it is a challenge, but over the years I have worked out ways to make it look less obvious in print. (Spell Check etc). I have also been know occasionally to email a Blog Post to my mother for her to check the grammar.
That said occasionally (quite often) a grammatical error or spelling mistake will get published. I am fortunate in that I have a dedicated band of loyal readers who will politely point out my errors (thank you) — but then occasionally I get an email from a ‘clever person’ that frankly can only be described as rude.
I may not be ‘clever’ in an Academic way – but I do believe I am SMART. Smart people ask questions.
Smart people hustle while ‘clever people’ would be afraid to – that ultimately explains why Smart People become successful entrepreneurs.
One email I received recently was particularly offensive. I will not repeat it here (they get automatically deleted in any case) – but basically they said they did not respect me, thought I was ‘dumb’ (that’s putting it politely) and thought the Internet would be a better place without people like me writing blog posts!
I suspect this person would describe themselves as CLEVER and I dare say that academically they are – and almost certainly they are quite ‘intellectual’ but alas I think their superior ‘intelligence’ and thought pattern is actually going to mean they will end up as bitter, sad and relatively poor people, simply because they cannot see the big picture.
(I wonder if this person would have sent a similar response to someone who was blind or physically disabled in some way?)
In my experience, Smart People Ask Questions
I know from speaking to other successful bloggers (some of whom really are very clever) that we all get BITTER emails like this – seems to be that is you want to inspire people to make money online or break free from mediocrity that you can attract Hate Mail.
Of course in the end these sad individuals and their response do themselves more harm than then can ever do me – but I do get ‘upset’ when people like this steal the dreams of other people.
I have said this before – but I will say it again:
If a young college dropout and dyslexic can succeed online – why not you?
Of course I know I know I have many A+ Students reading this blog. Indeed one thing that really impresses me is the number of Professional and VERY CLEVER people who read this blog — some with MANY Letters after their names. These people clearly get what I am about and they have not allowed their superior intelligence get in the way of their success. I respect them for that.
Thank you for indulging me on this rant – but when you meet the number of people I meet who are trying every way they can to achieve online success you do naturally get UPSET with these sad individuals who are trying to steal the dreams of others.
Finally here is a quote by Henri Bergson – it pretty well sums up my strategy for business and life success:
Think like a man of action ~ Act like a man of thought
Let me know your thoughts and your experiences with people trying to steal your dreams AND do check out the PS’s
Very Best Wishes
Michael
PS: This short clip shows the closing session from Vishen Lakhiani’s amazing presentation at Underground. Vishen literally Rocked The House!
PPS: On the subject of cleverness – to find out why insanely smart people from around the world give up traditional job ideas and instead come and work for Vishen Lakhiani and MindValley visit mindvalley.com/careers YOU WILL BE IMPRESSED!
PPPS: I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody ~ Bill Cosby
About Michael Dunlop
I'm Michael, I created this site back in 2009 and since then it's received over a million visitors from all around the world. We offer tutorials and inspiration for online entrepreneurs wanting to achieve more.
25 comments so far… Leave a reply
Daniel Meade
March 19, 2010 2:25 PM
I've often thought about that question, and its true, sometimes the 'clever' people can ask too many questions and over analyse things, meaning that in fact they never actually get done! It seems I'll have to make sure I'm at next years underground event!
James Cunnigham
March 19, 2010 2:55 PM
Very Good Post. Really spoke to me. Please nobody take this the wrong way, but I think I might be put in that 'too clever' category. I constantly over analyse things. Everything I try to do Business wise gets scrutinised to the death and as @Daniel_Meade said, It prevents me from actually doing anything.
TXCHLInstructor
March 19, 2010 3:00 PM
"(I wonder if this person would have sent a similar response to someone who was blind or physically disabled in some way?)" I maintain a blog for my Lions Club, and I have had a blind member email me with corrections for my grammar and spelling. Along with suggestions for improving the article presentation. BTW, he heads a group called "Blind Ambitions" (http://www.blindambitionsgroups.org/), and his photo is on that web page.
Jimvesting
March 19, 2010 4:07 PM
Solid post Michael, looks like the conference got a great turnout, so I'm definitely pumped to see you getting your name out there!
Joseph Ajilore
March 19, 2010 5:07 PM
Excellent Post Michael, I really do love this quote "Think like a man of action ~ Act like a man of thought" And i believe being able to listen to other people, rather than feeling over superior is a huge key to success...Humility We can all learn from someone, regardless of their age, location, degree and etc...
Ali
March 19, 2010 5:19 PM
Hey Michael... it was nice meeting you at the UG6. Don't let emails like the one you talked about affect you. I know that this is hard. I also have some kind of automatic emotional reaction to emails like that (you know, where your heart kind of sinks into your stomach for a second)... BUT... the thing is: First, the person writing that email is not really writing it about YOU. The person is writing it about THEIR PERCEPTION of you. All they know about you is a picture and a couple of words on the screen. So what they reject is not you as a person. What they reject is only the story in their head, that they create around those words on their screen. And second, everybody in their shoes would have had the exact same reaction. In fact, YOU would have had the same reaction and written the exact same thing, if you were them... with their brain, their upbringing, their memories and their way to see the world. If you keep that in mind, you'll find it easy to just drop any emotions when they come up when you get this kind of email.
Alex Sumerall
March 19, 2010 5:58 PM
Agreed. I think the "intellectuals" can be the worst in some cases. They only think about working within the normal paradigm and status quo like moving up the corporate ladder. As long as they feel important then they'll look down on others who are becoming successful in their own way. I just finished college and I never want to go back to school again. There's a lot of arrogance floating around those institutions of "higher learning."
Jon Butt
March 19, 2010 6:20 PM
Hey Michael Good meeting you at UG6 and I think you did a sterling job with the Young Moguls. Having sat through (not including the standing up to sing Bohemian Rhapsody!) Vishen's talk, you have summed it up well and, hopefully, people will be inspired to treat work and workers the way he does. Keep up the good work and get some fat on you! JON
Aaron Darko
March 19, 2010 7:46 PM
Good stuff mate. Its funny how the richest people in the world have no college degrees and there is everyone going to University - and most people, may I add, study for the sake of it. They conform and follow the masses. Be different, if you're not good at school then maybe you are an entrepreneur you just dont know it yet. Start something - if opportunity doesnt knock - build a door!
Luke Etheridge
March 20, 2010 4:06 PM
Michael, This is a point I have felt very strongly about for so long. Throughout my Internet Marketing/Blogging journey you start to realise that nothing is impossible and that you do not in fact need to be a genius to succeed or to open doors. I think that is a great quote by Aaron above "If opportunity doesn't knock-build a door!" - I really like that, that is exactly my theory and outlook on life and success. I have previously followed an Aussie Internet Marketer Brett McFall and he once said, "Be the general of the army, not the soldier in the trenches" meaning - if there is something that you can't do or think is too tough for you to do yourself, pay someone else to do it. For example areas in which you are not so good at there will be someone just round the corner who is an expert in that field. As you said many entrepreneurs have done this in order to build the huge empires that they sit on today. Oh and as for that email, the guy needs to focus on his own life rather than trying to bring others down to his level just because he is jealous and can't stand that someone is actually succeeding online. Great post bud, keep it up! Luke
Jarrod@ Optimistic Journey
March 20, 2010 9:03 PM
Clever people often are known to try to take the short cut route because, as the definition states, they are too confident in their abilities to take the route that everyone else is taking. Smart people know better, they don't try to hide the fact that they don't know all there is to know and they take out the time to learn what they don't know and use it for success. Great post by the way. Good information! Jarrod
Nick Tart
March 20, 2010 11:39 PM
Hey Michael! Thanks again for everything, man! You're right, Vishen's presentation blew me away too. As far as that nasty email is concerned, it amazes me that people spend time to do something like that. Actions speak louder than words and I'd like to know how much success that person has had in life. Can't be too much if they have time to write an email like that.
Maren Kate
March 21, 2010 5:15 AM
Very interesting, I think it is amazing that you do what you do even with a set back like Dyslexia - by the by your comments made me look up its definition and surprisingly many of the characteristics seem like things I have struggled with from childhood - but I never went to ordinary doctors so a lot of things could have gone undiagnosed. Anyways I appreciate what you do whole heartedly and your honesty... thanks for sharing this!
A Sitting Duck
March 22, 2010 7:45 PM
I averaged C's in high school... I guess with business its got alot to do with enjoyment and passion to succeed!... Time is the key, ;]
The Best Internet Marketing Seminar’s Ever!
March 23, 2010 6:27 PM
[...] I will be relating much of this learning in coming posts both here at Retiareat21.com and also at IncomeDiary.com but for this post I just wanted to take a few moments to sit back and consider the many wonderful [...]
Maggie Bergman
March 24, 2010 7:38 PM
Hey Michael, don't worry about negative comments, you always deliver great content, we all know that! Maybe they are just jealous, in any case, they are not clever, just 'clever dicks'! Keep up the good work, you have a great writing style, very easy to read and with lots of good tips which makes me come back all the time!
Kaiser
March 30, 2010 6:03 PM
Michael whats up man - that's real cool you got to hand with Vishen - that guy's a robot and his courses have been really influential on me - the seminar looked like it kicked ass - great post as always -
Maria Korolov
April 3, 2010 4:01 PM
One possible explanation is that academically gifted people tend to over-value activities which require a lot of brain power, and undervalue activities which don't. And in the business world, most problems are fairly straightforward. The big challenges in business don't have to do with solving complex equations, or learning large volumes of material. Instead, the big challenges have to do with less quantifiable skills -- negotiating contracts, mentoring employees, time management, empathy, being able to motivate, being able to delegate. I would guess that these skills are distributed on the typical bell curve -- some people have little ability in this area, some have a lot, and most folks are in the middle. Academic intelligence is also distributed on a bell curve. So the odds of someone being both good at business skills and academic skills is low -- but you will occasionally find them. However, you are more likely to find someone who is good academically and only average on business skills, or good on business skills but only average academically. I'm over-analyzing this, because I was a math major in college. :-) In my years in business, I haven't used any of the high-level math I know -- just arithmetic, and occasionally I calculate percent change. In fact, I believe everything I need to know to run my business I've either learned on the job, or prior to fourth grade. -- Maria
webmaster
April 3, 2010 4:11 PM
Very good explanation Maria, I concur with that
S Ahsan
April 3, 2010 8:29 PM
The video is hilarious! I checked out his site before. Mind valley has its own unique way of attracting growing talents..
Rick Resch
April 6, 2010 5:21 AM
Hello Michael, I wouldn't pay attention to the people who think there are too smart and clever because they are the exact ones that usually work for the next person. The first barrier to learning is that you think you know everything. There is no way that you can know everything in the universe. I've been to three different schools and majored in four different majors and I've yet got a degree in anything. I just look at it as college wasn't meant for me and I have to go about things another way. You got to keep living your dream and working towards a better future. Never giving up or giving in. Tenacity is the key. Cheers, Rick
Anthony
April 24, 2010 9:39 PM
One possible explanation is that academically gifted people tend to over-value activities which require a lot of brain power, and undervalue activities which don't. And in the business world, most problems are fairly straightforward. The big challenges in business don't have to do with solving complex equations, or learning large volumes of material. Instead, the big challenges have to do with less quantifiable skills -- negotiating contracts, mentoring employees, time management, empathy, being able to motivate, being able to delegate. I would guess that these skills are distributed on the typical bell curve -- some people have little ability in this area, some have a lot, and most folks are in the middle. Academic intelligence is also distributed on a bell curve. So the odds of someone being both good at business skills and academic skills is low -- but you will occasionally find them. However, you are more likely to find someone who is good academically and only average on business skills, or good on business skills but only average academically. I'm over-analyzing this, because I was a math major in college. :-) In my years in business, I haven't used any of the high-level math I know -- just arithmetic, and occasionally I calculate percent change. In fact, I believe everything I need to know to run my business I've either learned on the job, or prior to fourth grade. -- Maria
Patrick
April 26, 2010 1:45 PM
I averaged C's in high school... I guess with business its got alot to do with enjoyment and passion to succeed!... Time is the key, ;]
How I Made $5000 in The First Month With a Brand New Blog | Make Money Online
April 27, 2010 7:11 AM
[...] before I go on I wanted to go back to a post I did a little while ago called Are You Too Clever For Success?. Readers may remember how some ’sad people’ seem to only be able to feel good about [...]
DIa
May 12, 2010 3:23 AM
Thanks a lot Michael, You are right. Some people who go to college are less successful in life than the ones who didn't go to college. Great article
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