Intelligence ranks fifth

Thread Content

　　Many years ago, I always thought that to be successful, intelligence is the most important thing. As I gain more experience in life, although I still believe that intelligence is important, its position on the list of factors that lead to success moves further down – intelligence now ranks only fifth. 　　So, what are the four items that come before smart? 　　First, the goal. You can never force a cow that doesn’t want to drink water to drink, and in the same way, you can never achieve the greatest things in life in a field that you don’t love. The goal is an expression of desire; “what to want” has always been more important than “how to do it”. But the goal is not desire. The goals are always specific, and deadlines are often set for oneself. In other words, the goal is a concrete, time-bound objective. Thus, it has both the emotions of desire and the factors that drive it, as well as the elements that enable it to make its own decisions and prevent itself from drifting in randomness. 　　Second, breadth of mind. What is meant by breadth of mind is the willingness to make use of all the resources available in the world and to take advantage of everything it has to offer. Of course, it also involves a certain degree of tolerance – tolerance toward those who are different from oneself, toward the unfamiliar, and toward those who are less capable than oneself. Only in this way can you develop an attitude of seeking meaning in the broader world, expanding the realm of your life and your career. 　　Third, courage—the courage to take risks, the courage to act. Human freedom lies in human initiative, and human initiative lies in being open to various possibilities. If you don’t try anything, you won’t truly know what you are. If you don’t try anything, you often won’t know what you really want. So there is a famous saying that is indeed worth remembering: Raise the gun -- shoot -- aim. Do not fear initial difficulties, do not rely on long-term peace; just take action first. All vitality comes from action, from dynamic development. Although people often complain of lacking opportunities, sports are the mother of opportunities. 　　Fourth, perseverance. Many things fail not because of poor ideas or a lack of effort, but due to insufficient effort. There is a concept these days called pioneers. What does it mean to pioneer? To explore means not only to open up but also to venture further. Perseverance means moving forward; it is the resilience to never give up even in the face of difficulties. 　　In this way, goals, vision, courage, perseverance, along with intelligence, constitute the five most important elements of successful people. However, intelligence ranks only fifth. Moreover, since we believe that human intelligence is not largely innate but rather results from acquired experiences, intelligence is more likely to emerge if the first four factors are present. 　　As proven by all successful people, the most important factor for success is mental development. To summarize the above five points, the first four refer to the \"heart,\" while only the last one refers to \"wisdom.\" In other words, for those who are successful, it is certainly important to develop various aspects of their intelligence, but what is even more crucial is having control over one’s “mind”. 　　Therefore, how to expand one’s mindset and strengthen one’s mental strength is the issue that those striving for success need to pay the most attention to.