Have you ever asked yourself, “Am I smart” or “Am I intelligent enough to succeed in life?”

Many people are told they are either smart (or not) by the time they are in grade school, and it has the ability to impact the rest of their life!

 

Think about it…

 

If you were told you weren’t intelligent from a young age – you might have passed up applying for your dream college – believing you weren’t smart enough to get in.

Honestly, most men and women feel insecure about their intelligence at some point in their lifetime, but I’m here with good news….

 

You.

ARE.

Smart.

 

In fact, humans have 8 different kinds of intelligences:

1. Word
2. Logic
3. Picture
4. Music
5. Body
6. Nature
7. People
8. Self

 

When you figure out (and respect) how you’re wired, you learn the freedom of being yourself. 

I read a very interesting book last year about this topic called 8 Great Smarts. You can find it for less than $10 here.

I won’t go into detail (like the book does) but I will describe each smart category further so that you can understand your brain a little better!

Word Smart:

• You think with words.
• You tend to think out loud and process by communicating everything.
• You might be well read, and enjoy intellectualizing, rather than small talk.
• You’re interested in explaining things to others as well as learning from others.
• You might want (and have the ability to) learn other languages.
• You enjoy reading books (even if they aren’t for the purpose of an assignment), typing or writing notes, storytelling, lectures, journaling, writing research papers, poetry, etc.
• This intelligence helps in the success of school, as in every day life, but don’t look down on others who don’t have strong literacy skills.
• You might want to cut out on having to have the last word in an argument and focus on listening instead of talking.
• You might be interested in one of these careers: radio or television newsperson, journalist, counselor, editor, pastor, teacher, librarian, lawyer, or politician.

Logic Smart:

• You think with questions.
• When you’re excited, you ask more questions.
• You need things worth thinking about.
• You want everything to make sense and you can feel insecure or unstable if they don’t.
• You find joy from solving puzzles, reasoning, and figuring things out.
• Sometimes, you can think just for the fun of it.
• School might come easier to you, although spelling might be more difficult because it doesn’t always make sense (ie: their and there).
• Be careful, you have a tendency to think you’re always right.
• Try not to push your ideas and arguments to intentionally intimidate others.
• You might be interested in one of these careers: banker, pharmacist, electrician, plumber, accountant, teacher, clinical chemist, meteorologist, insurance/risk management, appraiser, police, or utility worker.

Picture Smart: 

• You think with pictures.
• When you’re excited, you add to your pictures.
• You need freedom to doodle/draw and to have your creativity respected.
• You find joy from being lost in the process of creating.
• Visualizing and observing are easy for you.
• You pay attention to and think with visuals: books, pictures, diagrams, maps, charts, etc.
• You have artistic abilities and enjoy designing (even if only in your mind).
• Listening for a long period of time may become challenging so try to ask your colleague for demonstrations/presentation/illustrations so that you can retain what they’re saying next time.
• Movies, instagram, gaming, etc. will appeal to you so be careful not to expose yourself to things you shouldn’t.
• You might be interested in one of these careers: cartographer, book illustrator, clothing designer, photographer, construction worker, art teacher, geometry teacher, graphic designer, sculptor, interior designer, movie or video game producer, pilot, surveyor, or architect.

Music Smart:

• You think with rhythm/melodies.
• You enjoy music and prioritize it.
• You make noise by humming or tapping your fingers, whistling, etc.
• When you’re excited, you make music.
• You need to be able to express yourself musically.
• You find joy from being lost in music.
• You hear rhythms and melodies in the world around you. (ie: my husband is currently beat boxing to the sound of my typing because he is music smart).
• You might even be able to sing or play instruments well.
• You might get distracted by music when you should be concentrating on work, so try to study in quiet and reward yourself with music once you’re done.
• Be careful to avoid perfectionism in your performance, and be okay with your personal best.
• You might be interested in one of these careers: music therapist, worship pastor, composer, conductor, music arranger, music producer, soloist, jingle writer, advertiser, disc jokey, piano tuner, sound designer, music editor, owner of music stores, or sound engineer.

Body Smart: 

• You think with movement/touch.
• You communicate with your entire body: your hands are busy moving, writing, twisting hair, walking, shifting in place, etc.
• You might have been told that you have ADHD because you learn by moving, touching, and directly experiencing things (so it’s often misdiagnosed as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).
• When you’re excited you move more.
• You need freedom and lots of space to move productively.
• You find joy from accomplishing or surpassing your physical goal.
• You can execute small and large motor tasks.
• If you’re parenting a child that is constantly moving and extremely energetic, please don’t get irritated with them. That is how they think.
• You might be interested in one of these careers: mechanic, physical education teacher, orchestra conductor, carpenter, plumber, welder, truck driver, stunt person, physical therapist, surgeon, actor, seamstress, sports coach, or camp director.

Nature Smart:

• You think with patterns: shapes, sizes, colors, designs, and textures.
• When you’re excited, you want to go outside.
• You tend to categorize easily and think with comparisons and contrasts.
• Weather can be an area of interest and ability for you.
• You long to understand nature, not just enjoy it.
• You need your love and appreciation for nature to be respected.
• You are comfortable around animals.
• You find joy from participating with nature in some way.
• You may enjoy volunteering at a pet shelter or examining a bug outside when your friends could care less.
• Try to get outside often so you don’t become irritable.
• You might be interested in one of these careers: tree surgeon, forest or park ranger, veterinarian or veterinarian’s assistant, environmental inspector, landscape designer, nature photographer, missionary, field biologist, or pet sitter.

People Smart: 

• You think with people.
• You read body language well and respond appropriately.
• You need others for thinking.
• You like bouncing ideas back and forth with others and appreciate their reactions.
• You might enjoy reading biographies and autobiographies of people you find interesting.
• You find joy by connecting with and understanding people.
• You know how to befriend the lonely and why a small group isn’t working well.
• You can recognize someone’s joy and choose to ask about it so they can share.
• You can comfort others after determining they are sad when others are totally unaware.
• Try not to struggle when you’re alone for too long.
• You might be interested in one of these careers: trainer, counselor, doctor, consultant, salespeople, police officer, social worker, evangelist, receptionist, travel agent, politician, talk-show host, waiter, reporter, personnel director, advertiser, or lawyer.

Self-Smart:

• You think with reflection.
• You like choices and options, but because you relate learning to your life, you think deeply, and want everything to feel right, choosing can be challenging.
• You need quiet, peace, privacy, and space.
• You want to understand things in depth, on a personal level.
• You want to consider all of your knowledge before answering (so you might appear like a slow thinker).
• You are deeply aware of your strengths and weaknesses.
• You know what you believe (and why) so you may become active in a cause.
• You know what you you like, want, and need and can use this as a guide to enrich your life.
• You have excellent insight because of your deep and wide thinking.
• Be careful not to become self-centered.
• You might be interested in one of these careers: entrepreneur, private investigator, writer, pastor, guidance counselor, personal trainer, teacher, social worker, therapist, or salesperson.

 

I hope after reading these 8 categories, you can relate to a few and feel encouraged, and I pray you never have to ask yourself again…. “Am I Smart”

Intelligence isn’t one size fits all. 

Your brain can continue to grow and learn new skills as long as you pursue new things!

I’ve made the mistake of not telling Audri how she’s smart. I’ve just told her that she is smart.

This is a mistake, because when she runs into a problem in school (or later in life) where she doesn’t have an answer – she’ll feel inadequate – then her motivation and self-esteem will decrease.

Instead, she could be aware of how she’s smart and use a different type of intelligence to solve the problem.

Everyone wants to be smart. I know you want that also. But you have to trust that you already are.

It’s time to breathe a sigh of relief and change your perspective on what “smart” means to you.

It’s not a question of “Am I Smart”

….it’s a question of “How Am I Smart” 

 

I pray you figure it out, cultivate the other smart categories to the best of your ability and accomplish what God has designed YOU to do.

 

What are your top 2 or 3 smarts? Let me know!