Am I stupid?

by Dr. Mahmud
(Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

The fact is I find a lot of people telling themselves “I am stupid, you are clever, you're a genius” and all sorts of things like that.
Well, is that really the case? Then define stupid. Is it when we study so much but we still can't score in our exam? Or we can't get a grasp of what we are learning after we spend hours reading?

There is no such thing as to define a person stupid. My personal opinion- genetics, environment, or brain growth from childhood are all factors to maintain a balanced world. Some people are just born with their brain not as good in studying as others. Meaning everyone has their own role. There can't be a world where everyone scores straight A's in exams, or everyone gets 100% marks in a paper, or everyone can learn how to learn other languages easily. When you think some people are very clever that they read for a bit and it sticks in their brain, they are not clever, they are just have a better study brain. Anyway, most of these people will become doctors or scientist or something academic.

True story-there was this one guy in my class in high school who was really bad at studying, he always got the bottom number and no As. But he was never a lazy guy, he never give up, he studied and tried hard every time although he kept on failing. All his hard works paid off when he found his interest and what he was good at. Thus now, he is a ship engineer and currently working in Brazil. I am proud of him. It just shows that exams, papers, marks and all of that are not the most important things to be consider in life. There are other things that can define your success.

Everyone has their own role to play in the world. There are teachers, doctors, mechanics, cashiers, managers, athletes and so many more. First you need to know that as genes circulate throughout the world, everyone has their own different talents, things that they are good at. Some people are good at studying but not social skills or any practical works, some are very good at doing things but not writing about it. Thus, know your talent.
How?
Evaluate yourself time after time. Examples - in studies, which subjects are you good at and which are you not? Second, try to do lots of things, sports, arts, music, acting, dance, gaming and all. Once you are doing something you will know if you stopped halfway, then it's not in your interest. If you are devoted to it then you will keep doing it.

It is one thing to find out your interest and one thing to know about your talent because it might differ. Examples- in school I like physics but for some reason I can’t really score well in my physics paper. To know what you're good at is to know your role in the world. If you are very good at arts, then try and produce a lot of it and start planning on opening your own art gallery.

If you are that good at maths you can be an applied mathematician. If you are good at music try writing a song and sell it, or form your own band and perform. You don't really have to keep your interests or what you are good at to yourself and make it a hobby, always give your best when doing something and try to aim high.

Like making a career of your hobby (don't you think it will be nice making money from doing the things that you love?). You won't know that actually it will be a good career for you, unless you try it. I see so many people waste their talent, not doing anything about it. Try. Try hard. Not trying is always worse than failing.

Don't really think about money, competitions and all the stuff that is causing you to stop from going with something, because everything that you do in this world, it can open up an opportunity for a greater one and give big pay-offs. As long as you do it properly. Really. A successful chef can be paid a fortune to cook just as a driver is paid millions to race.

Lesson to people who think they are stupid and other people are bright - start knowing what is your strong point and try go for it in your life. You might become more successful than the people you think are smart.