Choose to Take the Journey

“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”
-Mark Twain

Human beings neither have the strength of the gorilla, the speed of the cheetah, nor the plumage of the peacock. Our distinguishing feature as a species is of course our intelligence. It’s no wonder then that no other topic is as emotionally charged and as hotly debated as IQ. Though not the same as intelligence, IQ still remains our best approximation. The problem with studies on IQ is that they mostly describe populations, not individuals. To say that a high IQ population vis-à-vis a low IQ population will tend to be wealthier is like saying a group of big dogs will tend to overpower a group of small dogs. That doesn’t really say anything about the capabilities or motivation of any single dog.

I used to wonder about my own IQ. There have been times when I have surprised myself with my own genius, and other times when I was dumbfounded by my lack thereof. I keep those times to myself… But ultimately, I decided there was no point in finding out my actual score.

Imagine if you took an IQ test. If you scored lower than expected, it would negatively impact your self-esteem, your belief in your potential. If you scored higher than expected, nothing would change. You would just figure out some other reason for why you were not already living the life of your dreams. You wouldn’t even be able to brag to others since doing so would only encourage them to sabotage you. Ultimately, a low IQ score becomes just another excuse to explain away a lack of success, no different than blaming your blood, your past history, or your parents. And a high IQ score becomes nothing more than another rationalization to massage a tender, wounded ego.

If you and another individual of equal IQ were competing for the same job, are your chances of landing that job 50/50? Is he guaranteed to achieve the same socioeconomic status as you? Will his level of contribution to the world be the same? Will he experience the same level of joy and fulfillment as you?

Of course not. It sounds almost silly to say aloud, but we’ve all played the blame game at times, haven’t we? So let’s keep in mind that it is not about what you could do the moment you took your first breath, but what you actually do before you take your last.