智力一定天生 凡人必无出头日?

Too many people think that intelligence is a gift of nature and that there is little anyone can do to improve theirs. IQ tests have managed to confuse many of us, leading us to believe that intelligence is largely fixed. It is not.

很多人认为智力是天生的，以至于很少有人能通过后天来提高自己地智力。IQ测试让我们一直以为智力基本上是一定的。实则不然。

Just like swimming, cooking, dancing, and just about anything else, being smart is a skill that requires training. Unfortunately, our schools neglect to give us some of the most essential tools for being smart.

就拿游泳，烹饪，跳舞等技能来说吧，要想无所不能是需要一步步训练的。很遗憾，我们的学校恰巧没有给我们开发智力的工具。

So how did I discover these tools? It happened when I started working on my PhD. I didn’t just want to do just any kind of research, I wanted to do research that mattered. The problem was that I had no idea how to do research, never mind research that mattered. So, I decided to try and understand professors that did important work. For years, I watched and I learned, and I am proud to say that I figured it out – and it wasn’t what I expected. I will now share with you some of what I learned.

那么，我该如何找到这些工具？刚开始我的博士生涯时，我找到了。我不仅想做任何门类的研究，还想做有重要意义的研究。问题是，我根本不知道怎么去做研究，更别说重要研究了。于是，我决定去深入了解做过重要建树的教授们。很多年以后，我学到了很多，并且我很欣慰我弄清楚了事实并非我之前预料的那样。我很乐意将我所学告诉大家。

Practice Self-Critical Thinking

学会自我批判

We are all familiar with critical thinking, the act of questioning the assumptions of arguments that are put before us. Critical thinking is an invaluable skill – without it, we all become gullible and easily manipulated. The problems is that, we usually only apply critical thinking to other people’s ideas. When we apply critical thinking to our own ideas, its power reaches a whole new level. I call this self-critical thinking. Once you find a flaw with your argument, see if you can come up with a better idea. If you practice self-critical thinking, then you will find flaws in your arguments before anyone else. By practicing self-critical thinking, your intellect will amaze you.

对于批判性思维，我们耳熟能详，就是对我们面前的论点提出质疑。批判性思维是一种宝贵的技能，没有它，我们会变得轻信，容易被操纵。问题是，我们通常在别人的想法上大胆的用自己的批判性思维去分析。我们要是能把这种思维用在自己的想法上，它会让我们全新的认识自己。这就是我所谓的批判性思维。一旦发现你的论据不足，那么就要想想更好的论据了。如果你用批判性思维去思考问题，你会先于其他人发现自己的论据不足。通过对批判性思维的练习，你会发现你的智力一鸣惊人。

Be Persistent

学会坚持不懈

Smart, successful people don’t give up. They believe that they can do it, and so they keep trying until, finally, they succeed. You might know that Thomas Edison failed thousands of times before he succeeded. What you might not know is that just about all scientists experience failure on a regular basis. They spend months, even years, trying to find answers, until finally something works out. So if you want to be smart, be persistent.

聪明的成功人士有着永不放弃的精神。他们坚信自己可以做到，并且会锲而不舍，知道他们真的做到了。你也许知道伟大的发明家托马斯•爱迪生就是在屡次失败后成功发明了电灯，但你可能不知道几乎所有的科学家都会在发明中有过失败的经历。他们夜以继日，年复一年直到最终的成功。因此，想聪明，就要坚持不懈。

Learn to Present Your Ideas

学会表达自己

Two people can have the same ideas, and the same views and opinions, and yet only one of them might be considered smart. We often forget that everyone is busy with their own lives; they don’t have time to think about and analyze everything we say. If we don’t sell our ideas,virtually no one will recognize their merit. So, if you want others to know that you’re smart, learn how to present your ideas. Speak clearly, articulate your words, and most importantly, let your enthusiasm about your ideas shine through. Enthusiasm is highly contagious. Some of the most brilliant scientists spend half, yes, half, their time on presentation. If they find it worthwhile, so should you. Finally, learning to sell your ideas is not only good for your reputation, but it also can help others. If you have something to say, say it well, so that others can benefit from your message.

两个人可以有相同的思想,相同的观点和意见,但只有其中一个会被认为是聪明的。我们常常忘了,每个人都忙于自己的生活,他们没有时间来思考和分析我们说了什么。如果我们不去展示我们的想法，就不会有人能认识到这些想法的价值。因此，如果你想让别人知道你是一个充满智慧的人，你就该学会表达自己。表达要口齿清晰，准确有力，还有最重要的是要激情澎湃。热情是极具传染性的。伟大的科学家们基本上要花一半的时间来阐述他们的发明。既然他们都觉得这些解说是必要的，那么我们也该这么认为。最后，学会诠释自己不仅对你的名誉有好处而且也可以帮助别人。如果你有话要说，就有条不紊地说，这样听者也会受益匪浅的。

Finally, let me add that in order to be smart, you must also believe in yourself. We are all a lot more similar than we appear. Those who appear smarter than you simply had the rights tools and used these tools to exercise their minds.

最后，我要补充一点，那就是要聪明，你必须要相信自己。我们都看起来无异于别人。但那些看起来比你聪明的人却手握有用的工具不断地锻炼着他们的思维。

You are smarter than you think.

要相信，你比你认为的还要聪明。