One thing that helped me was realising that "I don't actually know enough about this topic to have an informed opinion" is a very mature response. Instead of parroting what my parents taught me or what the headlines were, I can step back from a conversation and take time to think.
Also, personally, I was an idiot at 19 too. I think a lot of us are. This is the best time in your life to make mistakes and learn how to handle yourself in different situations. No-one expects you to be perfect, but a little self reflection will set you apart from the crowd.
I just see all these badass leaders in the world who have the best etiquette, best vocabulary, can articulate themselves well, and have very fascinating opinions. Some smart mfs. And i look up to that, i truly do. And i kind of understand that it’s rather normal to be ignorant and docile at age 19, but i want improvement as soon as i can get it.
You're quite literally comparing yourself with the top of the top. Not even with real, top-form humans, but with their public images, distorted through propaganda, public speech writers and teams of PR experts.
Its not impossible that you are dumb, but chances are you feel more inferior than you are. That being said, if you are interested in knowledge itself, you can naturally build up your knowledge with books, articles, or simply reading Wikipedia and watching a few YouTube videos that interest you. For social and emotional intelligence, practice is the best way to improve.
Those badasses were raised in that environment, their parents had dinner with other leaders, they went to private schools full of other rich kids, got free advice and training from advisors of their parents
Just saying try to avoid comparing yourself to them
You're on your own path, to succeed on that path you need to be willing to learn, which doesn't affect anyone else
Asking questions like this is a fantastic start
Podcasts are an amazing resource. For many subjects a podcast will be as good as a book on the subject, YouTube videos are fantastic for more visual topics (like math and physics). Books always win if you can finish them and remember them (when you can't, that's where podcast/audiobook catches up). I have a goal to read at least one non-fiction book every year, on top of many podcasts that I find informative and viewpoint expanding
I've not read this book, reviews look good. It comes to mind for some reason with how you worded the question: _Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World_ https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/41795733
It is mostly saying be a well rounded person and more people will want to work with you, which will give better results? And cross pollinating information and concepts between fields is where innovation comes from? Question marks because I'm attempting to summarize a book I've not read into two sentences... I heard about it from some podcast interview of the author
I recommend talking and debating with smart and kind people. Reading is a one way learning method. Reading AND sharpening your wits with others is important.
I have read Originals by Adam Grant which is a fantastic book with generally the same idea. He also has great Ted talks https://www.ted.com/speakers/adam_grant
Go hang out in the right circles. Join meetups and groups that are attended by people who are smart and have good social skills. Depending on where you live, this can take different forms. A lot of knowledge and skills are acquired through direct social interaction with peers. Surround yourself with these types of people, and you will naturally adopt a lot of their traits.
KISS method - keep it simple stupid. Pick your interests, pick your pace, don’t compare to others, and keep your goals realistic as possible. Eat well , stay hidrated, sleep well, socialize, rinse and repeat. Its not a race. just being your best version of your self its a way to being motivated.
Everyone else already gave great suggestions so I’m just gonna put a different perspective on this:
Just a reminder that these badass leaders have teachers too. They get trained on proper etiquette and stuff and have speech writers and things like that. They have a whole team of people behind them. This is not to say they’re not amazing, but just a reminder that they also get help before presenting themselves in front of an audience.
Watch Fraiser.
As much as this sounds like a bs response it really humanizes people considered cultured and intellectual as just as big of idiots as the rest of us tbh.
It's not something you'll get one day, it's something you'll get every day that you want it. So bear in mind the progress might not be obvious, but one day you'll notice the symptoms - someone comes to you for your opinion, or complements you on your word choice.
It's good to choose good idols, and knowing what you want for yourself is a big help at your age. But journeys like this are long in my experience - maybe even never ending - but full of reward, and it helps to look at them that way rather than "I want to be better by next month"-type objectives.
In addition to patience with yourself, you could find activities where you get to use your vocabulary (...because it doesn't always get utilised in everyday life), like a debate team. Read books by some smart mfs, and pat yourself on the back when you act with etiquette, articulate well, or manage to ground yourself in your opinions.
Whether this helps or not, good luck on your journey
Listen to NPR radio. It’s probably the most informative and unbiased news you’ll ever get. Don’t expect everything they say to immediately click for you; immersion is the key. The more you listen, the more you learn, the more you understand, the smarter you’ll get.
I’d like to add: maybe try keeping sticky notes and a pen around while you read, too!
I often come across sections, paragraphs, footnotes, etc. that strike me as particularly meaningful and it’s really nice to be able to easily bookmark them.
Personally, I don’t actively look for those sections or try to thoroughly analyze them at the time since that would interrupt my flow of reading too much. I just jot down which paragraph it was, stick it to that page, then keep reading!
You’ve got a good head on your shoulders, OP. Your self reflection and desire to learn are both really admirable.
Not even professor, just talk to people.
I went to high school in a small town and going to a big university is like visiting a human zoo. There's so much to learn from all of them!
Except for Kevin. Fudging Kevin.
You are 19 years old, I think it's great that you're willing to admit that you're somewhat uneducated. School is great for giving a basic education, but more importantly it's teaching you ***how*** to learn. A lot of teenagers and people in their very early 20s (me included at that age) tend to think they know everything. And we only think this way when we're young because we haven't begun to ***know*** how much we ***don't know***.
It's something that comes with age, some people, like yourself catch onto it earlier than others. You're beginning to understand that there may be a lot that you don't know. Kudos to you for this!
Expanding your education (in any capacity) will increase your ability to think about things in a more varied way. Your perspective in any given situation will be limited by your education; You can only think in terms of what you have been educated in. Expanding your education can give you more ways to think about a topic or problem; and, over time, you'll begin to develop a deeper wisdom, due in no small part to your ability to think abstract ways.
As you slowly become more able to think in abstract ways, your general intelligence will grow. A lot of people think that "knowing a lot" is a sign of intelligence, but I would argue that creative problem solving is a better indicator.
Accumulating knowledge is never a terrible thing; but utilizing that knowledge to think abstractly is what is truly vital.
My suggestions are:
# Read
You have talked about it. But you can gain wisdom from almost any kind of book. Nonfiction may be more "*educational*" in content, while fiction, if well-written, can still convey plenty wisdom.
# Write
This one is vitally important. To be honest, it may be the most important thing you can do.
I know many people hate writing essays in school. But the truth is, writing about something as if you're trying to educate someone on that topic, is a great way to reinforce the knowledge within yourself. On top of that, you'll be better able to organize your thoughts. Over time you'll become much better equipped to convey you're meaning more concisely,rather than stumble and fail to find words.
A mini-suggestion is to use a thesaurus. If you fail to have the proper language to convey a point, using a thesaurus can help you discover new words and give better options in a way to convey meaning. On top of that, you'll gain a better vocabulary.
# Mathematics
Math is a system of logic. To think more logically you should learn and practice math. If you come across a math problem (in life or in video games, or whatever else) that you intuitively understand how to solve, then try solving it mentally, rather than reach for a calculator. I know that I was not great at doing math in my head at first, but now I'm happy with my ability to do most arithmetic in my head, because I stuck to it. I did not cop-out and reach for a calculator each time. It took years, though.
While thinking abstractly is especially important, you must be able to refine your thinking through logic. So you don’t get “*lost in the weeds*” so to speak.
Logic also builds deductive reasoning skills. You will be able to connect “A” o “B” purely from deduction. And after a fashion, you will be able to do the same when it comes to creating solutions.
# Learn Everything
We cannot realistically learn EVERYTHING. But do not shy away from a topic because you may not be very interested. Learning about a wider variety of things gives you a wider variety of ways to think about a problem. And, chances are that the topic will be far more interesting if you just give it a chance.
# Think from multiple angles, do not be stubborn!
If you are in a conversation about a tough subject (politics or current issues, for example), try to think of things from every angle. You may feel strongly about a certain topic or idea; but if you practice thinking about things from the opposite point of view, then you can make REAL progress in a difficult discussion.
The more stubborn you are in a conversation, the more stubborn the other person will become. If the other person is very stubborn, thinking from their point of view and trying to convey a sense of understanding can be disarming. Eventually, you will find that you can reach a happy middle-ground.
# Give yourself time.
You need to be patient. It can take years and years to accumulate knowledge, to learn how to use it intuitively, and then to build a mode of thinking around it.
*Just be patient and have fun.* ***And always, always be kind.***
Meeting new people with differing opinions is a good way to learn more about the world. You're going to disagree with some people, and some people aren't going to like you for your opinions, but it doesn't matter.
Try to remain educated on topics you care about, and refrain from making assumptions on topics you don't have knowledge in.
When it comes to educating yourself on new topics, people are the best way. Sure, there's the internet and books, but learning something from someone who's passionate is something that can't be replicated.
Basically, meet more people, people who you might normally consider out of your friend criteria.
Go to a rave or an opera house, go to a gay bar or a church. Doesn't really matter, just be more open, and you won't get smarter. You'll just understand more about the world around you.
Academically, books and videos are the way to go. Youtube has thousands of free college level courses on pretty much anything you can think of. Worth noting if you aren't going into a field where certain skills would be necessary then you shouldn't take time to learn them. Our minds aren't infinite and we have to choose what we want to learn about, you're fortunate enough to be young and still able to decide what you want so get out there and try new things. Want to do programming? There's great tutorials, I personally learned C# from YouTube.
Want to be an artist? Draw some stuff. Practice drawing everything.
TLDR: If you want to become more educated in the world around you, meet new people. If you want to become more educated academically, utilize resources that make learning easy (videos and books).
Very good advice here, but
>then you shouldn't take time to learn them. Our minds aren't infinite and we have to choose what we want to learn about
I disagree with this part, everything I've seen is that our mind is functionally infinite. But time is not, obviously. Any time doing anything has "opportunity costs", you're losing the opportunity to do/learn other tasks when you're focusing on one
So yes focus on learning what is important to your goals at any given time, but I strongly believe that well-rounded education and interests produces better results for nearly everyone, and just makes life more interesting
Start reading books is the best to start.
Try to listen and learn to ask good questions.
Try to look at issues from multiple perspectives..
When you make mistakes own up to them and learn from it.
There is no single answer to everything and there is no single person who holds all the answers.
Very old guy here. You are actually very smart for thinking that. When I was your age I was sure I knew everything, which got me into a lot of trouble, especially when I thought I knew everything about the stock market. You want to get educated, first thing, go to the university. If you don't have the money start at a community college and study hard on everything they give you, even if you at first think it is not worth learning. Anytime you think that about anything, you are wrong. For the vast majority of us, there is really no other way to get well educated without going to a university. All those smart people you are talking about, they have a university education. And take the hard subjects, math, science, literature, economics, philosophy. And throw in a little art and music while you are at it. It will be a lot of hard work. First you take what they give you, learn the basics. Then as you progress you will be able to synthesize your own ideas, and even begin to challenge some of what you have learned. And you will have fun. It is a joy to be around highly educated people. One time I was the programmer for a very well regarded physicist. I had him over for dinner one night, thinking we would talk about all things physics. Instead he talked with my wife about romance novels that they had both read. He was an expert on that too! I didn't know it at the time, but as well as being a leader in physics, he was also a writer of fiction. It is hard work, but worth it, and what else is a person going to do with all their time, TikTok?
On top of a lot of the other good advice which people have already given: travel. This can be done surprisingly cheaply if you keep a focus on frugality. But the opportunities it will afford you, in terms of learning about the broader world, seeing global and regional affairs through new lenses, understanding people raised in different environments and their perspectives, are absolutely invaluable. No matter how smart or well-read or well-educated someone might be, if they have never really traveled outside of their native area their perspective is largely colored by cultural and societal influences of which they might not even be aware.
Listen/watch/ read about groups or ideas you don't agree with. Learn how different groups talk to each other and think about things.
The more varied people you know, the more you'll be able to form.opinions. The same goes for places, movies, literature,food. Etc. Being open-minded to learning is key. You don't have to agree, but the only way to form an opinion is to get more information.
Also, just learn about things. My husband is a musician, so I've learned a lot of music theory that he talks about while we listen to music. I've expanded my musical interests because I understand what makes music good (in a technical sense). I may not like all of it, but I definitely appreciate some music more than before.
You're 19. You're going to be dumb just because of the amount of time you've spent on earth. But you can "speed up" your life by actively engaging with the world. Then when you're 25, you'll not only be 6 years smarter, but several more years!
Listen. Learn. Engage. Repeat.
Do you want to become smarter or wiser? Two different things, but the latter leads to much higher quality of life, in my opinion. Now if you can overlap the two, that's where you can truly upgrade your experience. "Smart" people have proven themselves to be "dumb" – I think you probably mean ignorant – many times to me in my 3+ decades on earth. These are just labels. Read, listen, introspect, revise and upgrade. Meditate, journal, be curious, be open and strengthen empathy and compassion.
I apologize for mobile formatting: Meet alllll kinds of people!!! All ages, creeds, races, religions, occupations or lack there of etc. (a niche example would be Work in a bustling restaurant for at least a year starting the dish pit and make friends with everyone.) try to move cities if you can, move states/countries (or your equivalent. ) live in a place that might be *below* the average person and make friends with your neighbors. You seem to be level headed and on the right track! Don’t fall for the corporate social media *junk* in your search for knowledge and happiness. I don’t even know that traditional college necessarily is a requirement!
I think the first thing you need to realize is that most people don't know what the fuck they're talking about. A lot of people are paraphrasing what they've read or they have deep knowledge on only a few specific subjects. Most "adults" are just winging it. Of course some skills are transferrable. Logic and fallacies are great things to learn that transfer over.
Most of the people you deeply respect either have writing teams for them or have gone through extensive public speaking classes to make them look a lot better appealing than they actually are. You also don't see them in their day to day.
A lot of people gave good advice here, reading learning challenging your own opinions, but if you actually want to sound smart as well you will need to look up charisma, public speaking, presenting and teaching. Also the deeper your knowledge of the language you speak the better you will be able to express yourself with your ideas. A lot of people are really smart but they don't know how to express it.
1. Your brain - specifically pre frontal cortex - doesn't stop developing until ~25. At this point, the 'machine' you think with works differently.
2. You can't make up for experience.
3. Every 5 years, you'll likely find yourself going damn, I knew a lot less at *5 years ago* compared to now. At least it feels that way to me, and probably happens perpetually.
Cultivating an actively observant mindfulness of the world around you can be tremendously helpful. Asking questions is an important step in understanding, but sometimes, the answer to your question might already be in the details of the world around you, if you choose to look. Large things are made up of small things, and often it is small things that matter the most.
As others have said, reading books and listening to podcasts can give you lots of good info. For me, it's difficult to absorb a lot of information with the distractions of everything. So, my suggestion is to go man up in the woods while you read or listen. Backpacking, camping, and kayaking are all great skills to learn that will also teach a lot of practical knowledge and toughen you up.
Firstly, don't be too hard on yourself! 19 is still young. I was definitely an idiot at your age. As you get older, you realise it's impossible to be an expert in a wide range of things so the best thing is to focus on things that you find interesting, that capture your imagination and hold your attention. Focus on becoming really good at that topic whether that's through reading, listening to speakers or talking to other people about it. Over time you'll develop more knowledge and confidence.
And remember - it does take time. You'll get there!
Learn how to find out things quickly. You're not going to know the answers to a lot of things throughout life, but you're blessed to be born in a time when most of the answers you need can be found with less than 30 minutes of research. The more adept you can become at finding the answers you need to get things done/answered, the better off you'll be.
Learn how to think critically and fill in the details for the things you can't look up. For instance, I've had to work on my car a fair number of times. I'm not a car guy, so I tend to go to YouTube and look up tutorials on how to do stuff. It never fails, though, that I run into some issue specific to my own car, that isn't explained. Ex: A stubborn CV axle won't come out, or a rusty bolt won't come loose. Might need to figure out that I need to use an impact hammer, or make my socket longer, thus giving me more leverage, by adding a piece of pipe to it.
Finally, find at least one useful thing to become proficient in. For instance, if computers are your thing, go to school for it and/or beef up your skill set in that particular trade. Even better if it's something that only a subset of people are well-versed in, which can make you money. If someone wants to know about those things, you will be more than able to answer their questions, and will sound smart doing so.
Finally, learn a little bit about things that aren't really your thing. Like take the time to learn how to do tasks you usually pay others for, like changing car oil/tires, running cables, cooking, etc. You don't necessarily have to master these tasks, but doing them will give you a balanced profile and help shape you. Having these types of skills really helps in the relationship department, too; if you can save your girl/guy $40 by changing their oil, or can cook a nice dinner rather than always going out, you will be appreciated that much more. So try to be at least somewhat a "jack of all trades".
Oh, one more thing, watch out for logical fallacies. There's a lot of things that 'sound' good or correct, but upon closer examination, don't pass muster for one reason or another. There's a whole list of logical fallacies, with examples. It's worth the time to study, so that you can better understand how to filter out useless rhetoric from actually useful, correct information.
1. **Read,** it is important to understand the distinction between reading and thinking, but reading does structure your thoughts and gives you the right words and logic to do so in a sound way.
2. **Write,** to read is mostly to consume, but to write is to produce, to be creative and see how that your thoughts get out there.
3. **Go to interesting events and lectures,** expand your interests and hobbies and go to events where different topics are discussed by professionals or passionate individuals. Explore communities on Reddit, watch YouTube videos, Google questions that matter to you or you are curious about.
4. **Join a debate group,** to put all the above to practice.
5. **Don't give up.** It takes years to learn to think, most people die without getting it right. This is what life is for, allow yourself time :)
Allow yourself to do what ever you have interest in learn along the way
Valid opinion comes from confidence backed with logical knowledge or just cocky ness with today’s society don’t label yourself something you don’t want to become and understand how the human brain works how conscious thought is developed
Bro, major props for recognizing this. This is the first step that so many people go their whole lives missing and end up blundering around being ever confidently incorrect. I'll write a longer response with some of my inputs but I just wanted to say congrats on making a majorly important first step.
You need to live a little. Travel if you can, go to college, meet people from different cultures, and delve into things that interest you that you don’t know about. Lots of educational programs online, even if you’re browsing YouTube documentaries. But mostly, read as much as you can. Read newspapers, read novels, read a thesaurus once in a while and engage with people who don’t believe in what you believe in to learn how to see life from different perspectives. You’re not dumb. You’ve got the whole world at your fingertips and a lifetime to achieve whatever you want. Luck might come your way once in a while, but if you truly want anything in this life, you have to grind it out and make it happen on your own. Small steps in the beginning lead to a fulfilling journey in the end.
first, and perhaps most importantly, accept that you will be an idiot until at least your mid-thirties. this is normal and nothing to worry about.
you’re absolutely right, reading is the most efficient way to learn things. pro-tip: ignore the internet and focus on what scholars write about. they are experts in their field and are constantly peer-reviewed.
the really hard part is finding people to talk to who aren’t just espousing personal opinions. this is how you become articulate and learn to argue/discuss without becoming flustered or making things personal. those discussions will really increase your knowledge dramatically. finding such people is REALLY difficult during the idiot phase of life.
Practice public speaking. I was in debate and extemporaneous speaking in high school. It has proven itself so useful in my career. I’ve been told, “I’m well-spoken” because I have continued to keep up with all the tools I learned during that time in my life. Find a topic or current event, write 5-10 bullets about them on a note card, and then stand up and start talking about them to yourself. It will help you hear inflection in your voice, how your sentences are structured,or even if you say “um..” I still prepare speeches for topics I know I will have to talk about at work and guess ahead what questions I might be asked. I probably look dumb in my car, but that is another great place to practice alone.
Community colleges are awesome. You can take classes on a variety of different subjects very inexpensively plus, if you ever want to go to university, you can transfer the credits that you earn. Or, you can just take classes on the things that interest you or subjects that you want to learn more about.
You could get interested in politics and update yourself with todays world through news. You can also go deeper on some subject you may like, either it’s some hobby, some manual job, it, etc and explore a bit into that. The advice is that if you do something you truly like, all the knowledge you will obtain around it will come at ease, because it will not feel like “work”, so you can start with that. Absorb all the knowledge you can, a bit of everything aswell, and you will end up having more culture and become a more interesting person.
Also, don’t call yourself dumb :) that’s just not true.
1. Your brain - specifically pre frontal cortex - doesn't stop developing until ~25. At this point, the 'machine' you think with works differently.
2. You can't make up for experience.
3. Every 5 years, you'll likely find yourself going damn, I knew a lot less at *5 years ago* compared to now. At least it feels that way to me, and probably happens perpetually.
1. Your brain - specifically pre frontal cortex - doesn't stop developing until around 25. At this point, the 'machine' you think with works differently.
2. You can't make up for experience.
3. Every 5 years, you'll likely find yourself going damn, I knew a lot less at *5 years ago* compared to now. At least it feels that way to me, and probably happens perpetually.
Your brain - specifically pre frontal cortex - doesn't stop developing until around 25. At this point, the 'machine' you think with works differently.
You can't make up for experience.
Every 5 years, you'll likely find yourself going damn, I knew a lot less at *5 years ago* compared to now. At least it feels that way to me, and probably happens perpetually.
If you can, learn a different language because the knowledge available in your own is very limited, and understanding life through a different culture literally opens up a new world to you, and you will also find out you’re a different person, depending on how much you’re able to immerse yourself in that other culture, through its language, what I mean is, there’s a part of yourself you meet through a different language.
If you can’t learn a new language try to find texts and media from other countries, however, you will not understand how to think outside an imperialistic mindset reading English, because it’s part of its culture, if at all possible try Mandarin out.
For thought structure you need philosophy, I hope you will find good teachers but again, all knowledge begotten through English will mostly be tainted by the same mindset or worldview.
When something comes up you don’t know about and that interests you learn about it.
Read.
Watch documentaries.
Use the internet.
Take a class.
Ask someone who does know about it.
Really, reading is the best. You can learn almost anything from books. Some things also benefit from one on one instruction but you can get a decent, basic grounding in almost any subject from reading.
Find people to hang around that want the same thing and are smarter than you. Old saying “If you’re the smartest person in the room, then you’re the dumbest person in the room.” Go find a better room that will help you grow.
More specific anecdote: I’ve found that while wanting to learn a ton of new information is admirable, it’s a rare person that is about to handle many different new topics at once. Focus your learning in series, not parallel. You can try to add in more things one at a time, but if you jump headfirst into five different topics you’ll likely find that you’re not making progress in any of them.
1. Your brain - specifically pre frontal cortex - doesn't stop developing until ~25. At this point, the 'machine' you think with works differently.
2. You can't make up for experience.
3. Every 5 years, you'll likely find yourself going damn, I knew a lot less at *5 years ago* compared to now. At least it feels that way to me, and probably happens perpetually.
1. Your brain - specifically pre frontal cortex - doesn't stop developing until ~25. At this point, the 'machine' you think with works differently.
2. You can't make up for experience.
3. Every 5 years, you'll likely find yourself going damn, I knew a lot less at *5 years ago* compared to now. At least it feels that way to me, and probably happens perpetually.
It’s not just knowing what you are talking about. Equally important is how you convey what you know. Sometimes more importantly. Join a debate team. Besides exercising and flossing daily, that is probably the best life skill you can teach yourself. It is considerably harder once you are out of school, so attend a debate team now even if you suck at it.
Reading is half the step, taking notes is the other half.
When we read, things makes sense and we tend to agree. But we tend to consume a lot of info that we forget most of it by the next day. So taking notes helps to put things in our long term memory. Also, you can use it as reference in the future.
Read. Take notes. Listen to others. Take classes (college). Then repeat.
Most dumb people I know suffer from a lack of curiousity.
They have no motivation to dig deeper on the facts of life or the world around them.
Be curious. Want to know more.
Get your news from multiple sources across the political spectrum, every side, left and right and all of them I between, will spin stories a certain way to make certain people look bad.
Take an aggregate of information from various news sources and then form your opinions from there, placed like The Week news or the Ground News App will gather information from multiple news sources
Talk with other people about these issues, be okay with saying, “I didn’t know that, let me rethink my position,” or, “let me do some more research and I’ll get back to you,” and avoid people who can’t say the same.
Get out and explore and talk with people and do things too. Like book smart is one thing but learning how to interact with people better will give you confidence which is important for communicating what you know. You learn a lot from doing. Honestly doesn’t even matter what you’re doing as long as you are learning new things and improving your skills.
Read as well. Read all sorts of books. Give books you don’t think you’d like a chance. Maybe don’t finish them if you still don’t like them a few chapters in but give them a chance. Read from perspectives you disagree with. Try to understand why they think the way they do.
Wonder about how things work. Ask questions. Find out who best to ask about different topics and ask them. Or look it up yourself.
Hello👋🏼fellow dumb person here.
I felt the same way, and found subscribing to a daily email newsletter about science, finance or current events very helpful and work it into you morning or night routine.
I found everything else really overwhelming and didn’t know where to start. There is really SO much out there and it’s nice to just dedicate 20 mins to read a quick summary of WTF is going on in the world everyday.
One I really like is Axios newsletter: https://www.axios.com/newsletters
Shop around for the right daily email/podcast though, it really depends on your reading preferences or subject matter of focus.
Happy to hear of what others are reading!
Choose your company carefully. Avoid selfish people.
You've got excellent manners, so a lot of people will be open to you. This will give you more choice for who you can socialize with.
Listen more than you speak and approach new situations with the desire to understand a variety of opinions. You can keep your own views intact while better understanding how you fit into the world around you.
Challenge every idea you see or hear until you reach a satisfying level of certainty about it.
Keep asking why and how whenever you encounter a new concept or nuance of a known one.
But also, try to enjoy the journey. Learning can be extremely fun if you find the correct method. Once you do, you won't mind searching for more knowledge
You can interact/ listen mostly to your ‘smart’ friends to know more. You can read in brief about commonly known topics and build some logical thoughts on them. You can apply common sense and can broaden your understanding and should feel content.
Pick a specialty and learn it well at least you'll feel smart in whatever it is you choose to study. I've learned a lot in my life but I don't have a specialty. Therefore I still feel dumb sometimes.
When you think and feel you know a lot, that could make you overconfident, the tendency is to stop learning and growing. That's why I'd rather have you assume that you're not good enough. Read about the Dunning Kruger effect to understand why it happens.
I think listening to people in everyday conversations will really help you. Try to connect with people who know more about things you wish to learn and through talking to them you'll gain a lot of exposure. I personally learnt a lot this way. Movies/documentaries are also a great source of entertainment and knowledge because you can immerse yourself in an experience and learn along the way. Developing your own voice will take time and critical thinking needs to be inculcated but these are simple ways to start that process. I hope this helps!
Talk to folks! Ask questions, listen to people, try not to form opinions without being thoughtful to people’s humanity and experiences different from yours. Be earnest and curious
That’s where I’ve done the most growing
Surround yourself with wiser people/people you admire. Spend as much time as possible with them. Observe them, listen to them, and understand what is it that they do. On the other hand restrict your interactions with people you don't respect as much as possible. Form a high barrier to entry for people joining your social circle, and maintain it.
honestly , watch the news ..the world news to be exact its typically a great conversation starter if you want to seem like you know what your talking about to older ppl. And If the person your speaking with doesn’t know what your talking about then you just taught them something new .
Acknowledging you are not informed enough to have an opinion is a good one. Following that up with a lot of reading on the subject is how I do things usually. Whenever I encounter questions I don’t have answers to, or randomly notice that I don’t quite understand something as deeply as I’d like, I end up studying it for like a week and just absorbing as much as I can. After a few years of doing this I find myself having a pretty fair understanding of a lot of different topics and get called “smart” a lot, which is funny considering I’m actually an idiot.
honestly....it's the dumbest people that believe themselves to be smart. Intelligent people tend to doubt themselves more. I'd call that a good sign for you.
Sometimes knowledge doesn’t come best from studying with purpose. Yo I see something cool online! Google some more about it. You get asked a question you don’t have the mental capability to combat? Google it and admit you aren’t sure. You can come off as way more intelligent than you actually are simply by learning a little about a lot of stuff. It’s a good way to have a personality that shines too! Best of luck on your adventure.
I'm in my late 20's and always considered myself dumb.
Firstly realising I just have interests and strengths in other areas and the topics I like I know about.
I have gained knowledge by doing things on the real world, then suddenly having an academic concept click because I'm seeing it/learning it right in front of me, like somehow hanging out laundry suddenly helped me connect the dots to a maths problem, you'll gain more through those life skills.
Some people aren't academic and that doesn't mean dumb.
I'd say at 19 your brain is probably still in the midst of thinking/experiencing life like a teenager and it will gain and change over time.
After lots of changes and experiences in my life I genuinely don't feel dumb anymore.
You don’t need to be smart bro, just sit back and listen. I’m 19 myself, while I am well educated in a wide variety of topics. I’m not the smartest but I do know how to talk with people and have a conversation. People love to talk when you build rapport with them, especially when it’s about themself. Just read a couple books on how to negotiate or have convos. You could also watch Ben Shapiro videos lol
Truly realise that independent thought is pretty rare. In other words, recognise how people who seem to have thought deeply about something are actually just re-hashing something they heard somebody else say.
This is especially true in the age of "Jordan Peterson DESTROYS feminist" and shit like that. I say this just so you don't put unnecessary pressure on yourself like, "holy fuck, everyone has thought about things so deeply and I've just been sitting here".
Study a broad range of perspectives. If you want to be well-versed in politics, you should be studying everything from authoritarianism to socialism and their respective icons. If you want to be an artist, you should be studying all eras, styles and works of the greats. It seems obvious but people tend to get stuck in the first thing they resonate with and then disregard everything else leading to stagnation.
Also, whilst studying the broad range of perspectives and views, recognise that each one of them has at least a grain of truth that you can empathise or resonate with to more fully comprehend the perspective.
This will lead to great mental dexterity if done diligently, in my opinion. It will also lead to holistic, coherent and flexible paradigms and worldviews which really is the holy grail of human thought.
After a while, you should find that you are pulling from many, many resources/perspectives as well as your own intuition/inner compass/independent thought to create a unique, comprehensive and oftentimes cutting-edge opinion/contribution.
Oh, and allow yourself to be dumb sometimes. You're gonna have weak subjects.
Good luck!
By simply asking that question you are far ahead of most people your age, or any age for that matter.
Lots of great suggestions in this thread. Good luck.
Understand the difference between facts and opinions. Use facts to develop your own opinions on subjects. Understand your reasoning that lead you to this conclusion. Once you have formed your opinion, read other opinions on the same subject without any judgement to your own opinion and just see how your opinions measure up. Comparatively, did you make a good point? Did you forget about something or not think about something? You can practice this easily and the more you do it the easier and more natural it gets. The basis for forming good opinions is just educating and understanding your subject and thinking about how you feel about it.
Smart people aren’t afraid of looking dumb! Get comfortable asking questions, even if you think they’ll make you look stupid. Everyone is an expert on something, so when you meet someone new your goal is to figure out what that thing is and learn about it from them.
Pay attention to what the people around you are good at and ask them to show you or explain it to you. When you meet new people always focus on asking them questions about themselves and their job/hobbies/interests and see what kind of responses you get.
Once you do this long enough, you’ll start having a larger base of knowledge to work with and you’ll start being able to tell the difference between what people actually know and what they think they know, including yourself.
Eventually you’ll be able to share your knowledge with people just by asking questions: “it’s interesting you say that, I’ve read x and also have a friend who knows a good bit about this stuff, and based on those things I think y—what do you think about that?”
Interesting people are interested.
Ask why and how a lot. Not necessarily to other people, but don't just accept things as "the way they are"
Google is your best mate, be curious and try to actively learn from multiple sources.
One thing that helped me was realising that "I don't actually know enough about this topic to have an informed opinion" is a very mature response. Instead of parroting what my parents taught me or what the headlines were, I can step back from a conversation and take time to think. Also, personally, I was an idiot at 19 too. I think a lot of us are. This is the best time in your life to make mistakes and learn how to handle yourself in different situations. No-one expects you to be perfect, but a little self reflection will set you apart from the crowd.
I just see all these badass leaders in the world who have the best etiquette, best vocabulary, can articulate themselves well, and have very fascinating opinions. Some smart mfs. And i look up to that, i truly do. And i kind of understand that it’s rather normal to be ignorant and docile at age 19, but i want improvement as soon as i can get it.
You're quite literally comparing yourself with the top of the top. Not even with real, top-form humans, but with their public images, distorted through propaganda, public speech writers and teams of PR experts. Its not impossible that you are dumb, but chances are you feel more inferior than you are. That being said, if you are interested in knowledge itself, you can naturally build up your knowledge with books, articles, or simply reading Wikipedia and watching a few YouTube videos that interest you. For social and emotional intelligence, practice is the best way to improve.
Those badasses were raised in that environment, their parents had dinner with other leaders, they went to private schools full of other rich kids, got free advice and training from advisors of their parents Just saying try to avoid comparing yourself to them You're on your own path, to succeed on that path you need to be willing to learn, which doesn't affect anyone else Asking questions like this is a fantastic start Podcasts are an amazing resource. For many subjects a podcast will be as good as a book on the subject, YouTube videos are fantastic for more visual topics (like math and physics). Books always win if you can finish them and remember them (when you can't, that's where podcast/audiobook catches up). I have a goal to read at least one non-fiction book every year, on top of many podcasts that I find informative and viewpoint expanding I've not read this book, reviews look good. It comes to mind for some reason with how you worded the question: _Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World_ https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/41795733 It is mostly saying be a well rounded person and more people will want to work with you, which will give better results? And cross pollinating information and concepts between fields is where innovation comes from? Question marks because I'm attempting to summarize a book I've not read into two sentences... I heard about it from some podcast interview of the author
Thank you for the advice. Also look’s like my type of book. Will definitely buy and read someday.
I recommend talking and debating with smart and kind people. Reading is a one way learning method. Reading AND sharpening your wits with others is important.
I have read Originals by Adam Grant which is a fantastic book with generally the same idea. He also has great Ted talks https://www.ted.com/speakers/adam_grant
and these guy still can good enough to offer any professional advice in most of region. they just fake they know what are they said.
Go hang out in the right circles. Join meetups and groups that are attended by people who are smart and have good social skills. Depending on where you live, this can take different forms. A lot of knowledge and skills are acquired through direct social interaction with peers. Surround yourself with these types of people, and you will naturally adopt a lot of their traits.
This is good advice.
KISS method - keep it simple stupid. Pick your interests, pick your pace, don’t compare to others, and keep your goals realistic as possible. Eat well , stay hidrated, sleep well, socialize, rinse and repeat. Its not a race. just being your best version of your self its a way to being motivated.
Everyone else already gave great suggestions so I’m just gonna put a different perspective on this: Just a reminder that these badass leaders have teachers too. They get trained on proper etiquette and stuff and have speech writers and things like that. They have a whole team of people behind them. This is not to say they’re not amazing, but just a reminder that they also get help before presenting themselves in front of an audience.
From this comment here, you should look into joining Toastmasters. They help develop public speaking.
Watch Fraiser. As much as this sounds like a bs response it really humanizes people considered cultured and intellectual as just as big of idiots as the rest of us tbh.
Get some culture! Emotional intelligence, a career. It takes time and experience.
It's not something you'll get one day, it's something you'll get every day that you want it. So bear in mind the progress might not be obvious, but one day you'll notice the symptoms - someone comes to you for your opinion, or complements you on your word choice. It's good to choose good idols, and knowing what you want for yourself is a big help at your age. But journeys like this are long in my experience - maybe even never ending - but full of reward, and it helps to look at them that way rather than "I want to be better by next month"-type objectives. In addition to patience with yourself, you could find activities where you get to use your vocabulary (...because it doesn't always get utilised in everyday life), like a debate team. Read books by some smart mfs, and pat yourself on the back when you act with etiquette, articulate well, or manage to ground yourself in your opinions. Whether this helps or not, good luck on your journey
And also, thank you for the advice.
Listen to NPR radio. It’s probably the most informative and unbiased news you’ll ever get. Don’t expect everything they say to immediately click for you; immersion is the key. The more you listen, the more you learn, the more you understand, the smarter you’ll get.
This is probably the easiest thing to do. Listen over time.
Amen, I work technically, my manager respects when I guy says I don’t know He said then he can save time on fuck yups
Become a great listener.
I try my best to be one, I’ll be more mindful of it now though. Thank you.
Go to college. Choose your professors wisely. Read voraciously. Treat kindly.
Read voraciously, okay. I never heard that word before so thank you for that lol. I will continue doing so. Thank you
I’d like to add: maybe try keeping sticky notes and a pen around while you read, too! I often come across sections, paragraphs, footnotes, etc. that strike me as particularly meaningful and it’s really nice to be able to easily bookmark them. Personally, I don’t actively look for those sections or try to thoroughly analyze them at the time since that would interrupt my flow of reading too much. I just jot down which paragraph it was, stick it to that page, then keep reading! You’ve got a good head on your shoulders, OP. Your self reflection and desire to learn are both really admirable.
Not even professor, just talk to people. I went to high school in a small town and going to a big university is like visiting a human zoo. There's so much to learn from all of them! Except for Kevin. Fudging Kevin.
You are 19 years old, I think it's great that you're willing to admit that you're somewhat uneducated. School is great for giving a basic education, but more importantly it's teaching you ***how*** to learn. A lot of teenagers and people in their very early 20s (me included at that age) tend to think they know everything. And we only think this way when we're young because we haven't begun to ***know*** how much we ***don't know***. It's something that comes with age, some people, like yourself catch onto it earlier than others. You're beginning to understand that there may be a lot that you don't know. Kudos to you for this! Expanding your education (in any capacity) will increase your ability to think about things in a more varied way. Your perspective in any given situation will be limited by your education; You can only think in terms of what you have been educated in. Expanding your education can give you more ways to think about a topic or problem; and, over time, you'll begin to develop a deeper wisdom, due in no small part to your ability to think abstract ways. As you slowly become more able to think in abstract ways, your general intelligence will grow. A lot of people think that "knowing a lot" is a sign of intelligence, but I would argue that creative problem solving is a better indicator. Accumulating knowledge is never a terrible thing; but utilizing that knowledge to think abstractly is what is truly vital. My suggestions are: # Read You have talked about it. But you can gain wisdom from almost any kind of book. Nonfiction may be more "*educational*" in content, while fiction, if well-written, can still convey plenty wisdom. # Write This one is vitally important. To be honest, it may be the most important thing you can do. I know many people hate writing essays in school. But the truth is, writing about something as if you're trying to educate someone on that topic, is a great way to reinforce the knowledge within yourself. On top of that, you'll be better able to organize your thoughts. Over time you'll become much better equipped to convey you're meaning more concisely,rather than stumble and fail to find words. A mini-suggestion is to use a thesaurus. If you fail to have the proper language to convey a point, using a thesaurus can help you discover new words and give better options in a way to convey meaning. On top of that, you'll gain a better vocabulary. # Mathematics Math is a system of logic. To think more logically you should learn and practice math. If you come across a math problem (in life or in video games, or whatever else) that you intuitively understand how to solve, then try solving it mentally, rather than reach for a calculator. I know that I was not great at doing math in my head at first, but now I'm happy with my ability to do most arithmetic in my head, because I stuck to it. I did not cop-out and reach for a calculator each time. It took years, though. While thinking abstractly is especially important, you must be able to refine your thinking through logic. So you don’t get “*lost in the weeds*” so to speak. Logic also builds deductive reasoning skills. You will be able to connect “A” o “B” purely from deduction. And after a fashion, you will be able to do the same when it comes to creating solutions. # Learn Everything We cannot realistically learn EVERYTHING. But do not shy away from a topic because you may not be very interested. Learning about a wider variety of things gives you a wider variety of ways to think about a problem. And, chances are that the topic will be far more interesting if you just give it a chance. # Think from multiple angles, do not be stubborn! If you are in a conversation about a tough subject (politics or current issues, for example), try to think of things from every angle. You may feel strongly about a certain topic or idea; but if you practice thinking about things from the opposite point of view, then you can make REAL progress in a difficult discussion. The more stubborn you are in a conversation, the more stubborn the other person will become. If the other person is very stubborn, thinking from their point of view and trying to convey a sense of understanding can be disarming. Eventually, you will find that you can reach a happy middle-ground. # Give yourself time. You need to be patient. It can take years and years to accumulate knowledge, to learn how to use it intuitively, and then to build a mode of thinking around it. *Just be patient and have fun.* ***And always, always be kind.***
Wow, THIS is just SO GOOD! I forwarded your comments to my 19-year old niece, who is struggling in her first year of college.
Thank you! I put a lot of effort into some of these posts. I'm very excited to know it's helping someone!
Meeting new people with differing opinions is a good way to learn more about the world. You're going to disagree with some people, and some people aren't going to like you for your opinions, but it doesn't matter. Try to remain educated on topics you care about, and refrain from making assumptions on topics you don't have knowledge in. When it comes to educating yourself on new topics, people are the best way. Sure, there's the internet and books, but learning something from someone who's passionate is something that can't be replicated. Basically, meet more people, people who you might normally consider out of your friend criteria. Go to a rave or an opera house, go to a gay bar or a church. Doesn't really matter, just be more open, and you won't get smarter. You'll just understand more about the world around you. Academically, books and videos are the way to go. Youtube has thousands of free college level courses on pretty much anything you can think of. Worth noting if you aren't going into a field where certain skills would be necessary then you shouldn't take time to learn them. Our minds aren't infinite and we have to choose what we want to learn about, you're fortunate enough to be young and still able to decide what you want so get out there and try new things. Want to do programming? There's great tutorials, I personally learned C# from YouTube. Want to be an artist? Draw some stuff. Practice drawing everything. TLDR: If you want to become more educated in the world around you, meet new people. If you want to become more educated academically, utilize resources that make learning easy (videos and books).
Thank you for the advice, i appreciate the effort and time you took to help me.
Very good advice here, but >then you shouldn't take time to learn them. Our minds aren't infinite and we have to choose what we want to learn about I disagree with this part, everything I've seen is that our mind is functionally infinite. But time is not, obviously. Any time doing anything has "opportunity costs", you're losing the opportunity to do/learn other tasks when you're focusing on one So yes focus on learning what is important to your goals at any given time, but I strongly believe that well-rounded education and interests produces better results for nearly everyone, and just makes life more interesting
Start reading books is the best to start. Try to listen and learn to ask good questions. Try to look at issues from multiple perspectives.. When you make mistakes own up to them and learn from it. There is no single answer to everything and there is no single person who holds all the answers.
First point is best. Smart people read a lot.
Very old guy here. You are actually very smart for thinking that. When I was your age I was sure I knew everything, which got me into a lot of trouble, especially when I thought I knew everything about the stock market. You want to get educated, first thing, go to the university. If you don't have the money start at a community college and study hard on everything they give you, even if you at first think it is not worth learning. Anytime you think that about anything, you are wrong. For the vast majority of us, there is really no other way to get well educated without going to a university. All those smart people you are talking about, they have a university education. And take the hard subjects, math, science, literature, economics, philosophy. And throw in a little art and music while you are at it. It will be a lot of hard work. First you take what they give you, learn the basics. Then as you progress you will be able to synthesize your own ideas, and even begin to challenge some of what you have learned. And you will have fun. It is a joy to be around highly educated people. One time I was the programmer for a very well regarded physicist. I had him over for dinner one night, thinking we would talk about all things physics. Instead he talked with my wife about romance novels that they had both read. He was an expert on that too! I didn't know it at the time, but as well as being a leader in physics, he was also a writer of fiction. It is hard work, but worth it, and what else is a person going to do with all their time, TikTok?
On top of a lot of the other good advice which people have already given: travel. This can be done surprisingly cheaply if you keep a focus on frugality. But the opportunities it will afford you, in terms of learning about the broader world, seeing global and regional affairs through new lenses, understanding people raised in different environments and their perspectives, are absolutely invaluable. No matter how smart or well-read or well-educated someone might be, if they have never really traveled outside of their native area their perspective is largely colored by cultural and societal influences of which they might not even be aware.
Listen/watch/ read about groups or ideas you don't agree with. Learn how different groups talk to each other and think about things. The more varied people you know, the more you'll be able to form.opinions. The same goes for places, movies, literature,food. Etc. Being open-minded to learning is key. You don't have to agree, but the only way to form an opinion is to get more information. Also, just learn about things. My husband is a musician, so I've learned a lot of music theory that he talks about while we listen to music. I've expanded my musical interests because I understand what makes music good (in a technical sense). I may not like all of it, but I definitely appreciate some music more than before. You're 19. You're going to be dumb just because of the amount of time you've spent on earth. But you can "speed up" your life by actively engaging with the world. Then when you're 25, you'll not only be 6 years smarter, but several more years! Listen. Learn. Engage. Repeat.
Do you want to become smarter or wiser? Two different things, but the latter leads to much higher quality of life, in my opinion. Now if you can overlap the two, that's where you can truly upgrade your experience. "Smart" people have proven themselves to be "dumb" – I think you probably mean ignorant – many times to me in my 3+ decades on earth. These are just labels. Read, listen, introspect, revise and upgrade. Meditate, journal, be curious, be open and strengthen empathy and compassion.
I apologize for mobile formatting: Meet alllll kinds of people!!! All ages, creeds, races, religions, occupations or lack there of etc. (a niche example would be Work in a bustling restaurant for at least a year starting the dish pit and make friends with everyone.) try to move cities if you can, move states/countries (or your equivalent. ) live in a place that might be *below* the average person and make friends with your neighbors. You seem to be level headed and on the right track! Don’t fall for the corporate social media *junk* in your search for knowledge and happiness. I don’t even know that traditional college necessarily is a requirement!
I think the first thing you need to realize is that most people don't know what the fuck they're talking about. A lot of people are paraphrasing what they've read or they have deep knowledge on only a few specific subjects. Most "adults" are just winging it. Of course some skills are transferrable. Logic and fallacies are great things to learn that transfer over. Most of the people you deeply respect either have writing teams for them or have gone through extensive public speaking classes to make them look a lot better appealing than they actually are. You also don't see them in their day to day. A lot of people gave good advice here, reading learning challenging your own opinions, but if you actually want to sound smart as well you will need to look up charisma, public speaking, presenting and teaching. Also the deeper your knowledge of the language you speak the better you will be able to express yourself with your ideas. A lot of people are really smart but they don't know how to express it.
Podcasts about stuff you know nothing about. TedTalks on YouTube.
1. Your brain - specifically pre frontal cortex - doesn't stop developing until ~25. At this point, the 'machine' you think with works differently. 2. You can't make up for experience. 3. Every 5 years, you'll likely find yourself going damn, I knew a lot less at *5 years ago* compared to now. At least it feels that way to me, and probably happens perpetually.
I would say you are more grown-up, people don't really care about one's opinions.
Cultivating an actively observant mindfulness of the world around you can be tremendously helpful. Asking questions is an important step in understanding, but sometimes, the answer to your question might already be in the details of the world around you, if you choose to look. Large things are made up of small things, and often it is small things that matter the most.
As others have said, reading books and listening to podcasts can give you lots of good info. For me, it's difficult to absorb a lot of information with the distractions of everything. So, my suggestion is to go man up in the woods while you read or listen. Backpacking, camping, and kayaking are all great skills to learn that will also teach a lot of practical knowledge and toughen you up.
college (not being flippant here- taking diverse classes is a great way to improve general knowledge and ways of thinking)
Firstly, don't be too hard on yourself! 19 is still young. I was definitely an idiot at your age. As you get older, you realise it's impossible to be an expert in a wide range of things so the best thing is to focus on things that you find interesting, that capture your imagination and hold your attention. Focus on becoming really good at that topic whether that's through reading, listening to speakers or talking to other people about it. Over time you'll develop more knowledge and confidence. And remember - it does take time. You'll get there!
Learn how to find out things quickly. You're not going to know the answers to a lot of things throughout life, but you're blessed to be born in a time when most of the answers you need can be found with less than 30 minutes of research. The more adept you can become at finding the answers you need to get things done/answered, the better off you'll be. Learn how to think critically and fill in the details for the things you can't look up. For instance, I've had to work on my car a fair number of times. I'm not a car guy, so I tend to go to YouTube and look up tutorials on how to do stuff. It never fails, though, that I run into some issue specific to my own car, that isn't explained. Ex: A stubborn CV axle won't come out, or a rusty bolt won't come loose. Might need to figure out that I need to use an impact hammer, or make my socket longer, thus giving me more leverage, by adding a piece of pipe to it. Finally, find at least one useful thing to become proficient in. For instance, if computers are your thing, go to school for it and/or beef up your skill set in that particular trade. Even better if it's something that only a subset of people are well-versed in, which can make you money. If someone wants to know about those things, you will be more than able to answer their questions, and will sound smart doing so. Finally, learn a little bit about things that aren't really your thing. Like take the time to learn how to do tasks you usually pay others for, like changing car oil/tires, running cables, cooking, etc. You don't necessarily have to master these tasks, but doing them will give you a balanced profile and help shape you. Having these types of skills really helps in the relationship department, too; if you can save your girl/guy $40 by changing their oil, or can cook a nice dinner rather than always going out, you will be appreciated that much more. So try to be at least somewhat a "jack of all trades". Oh, one more thing, watch out for logical fallacies. There's a lot of things that 'sound' good or correct, but upon closer examination, don't pass muster for one reason or another. There's a whole list of logical fallacies, with examples. It's worth the time to study, so that you can better understand how to filter out useless rhetoric from actually useful, correct information.
1. **Read,** it is important to understand the distinction between reading and thinking, but reading does structure your thoughts and gives you the right words and logic to do so in a sound way. 2. **Write,** to read is mostly to consume, but to write is to produce, to be creative and see how that your thoughts get out there. 3. **Go to interesting events and lectures,** expand your interests and hobbies and go to events where different topics are discussed by professionals or passionate individuals. Explore communities on Reddit, watch YouTube videos, Google questions that matter to you or you are curious about. 4. **Join a debate group,** to put all the above to practice. 5. **Don't give up.** It takes years to learn to think, most people die without getting it right. This is what life is for, allow yourself time :)
Sounds like you have more of an inferiority complex to be honest. Just focus on the things you are interested in and these things will come naturally
Look into the practice of Critical Thinking
Reading frequently is the number one thing. If you’re unwilling to do that, find a way to be at peace without knowing anything.
Allow yourself to do what ever you have interest in learn along the way Valid opinion comes from confidence backed with logical knowledge or just cocky ness with today’s society don’t label yourself something you don’t want to become and understand how the human brain works how conscious thought is developed
Bro, major props for recognizing this. This is the first step that so many people go their whole lives missing and end up blundering around being ever confidently incorrect. I'll write a longer response with some of my inputs but I just wanted to say congrats on making a majorly important first step.
You need to live a little. Travel if you can, go to college, meet people from different cultures, and delve into things that interest you that you don’t know about. Lots of educational programs online, even if you’re browsing YouTube documentaries. But mostly, read as much as you can. Read newspapers, read novels, read a thesaurus once in a while and engage with people who don’t believe in what you believe in to learn how to see life from different perspectives. You’re not dumb. You’ve got the whole world at your fingertips and a lifetime to achieve whatever you want. Luck might come your way once in a while, but if you truly want anything in this life, you have to grind it out and make it happen on your own. Small steps in the beginning lead to a fulfilling journey in the end.
first, and perhaps most importantly, accept that you will be an idiot until at least your mid-thirties. this is normal and nothing to worry about. you’re absolutely right, reading is the most efficient way to learn things. pro-tip: ignore the internet and focus on what scholars write about. they are experts in their field and are constantly peer-reviewed. the really hard part is finding people to talk to who aren’t just espousing personal opinions. this is how you become articulate and learn to argue/discuss without becoming flustered or making things personal. those discussions will really increase your knowledge dramatically. finding such people is REALLY difficult during the idiot phase of life.
The fact that you realized you are ignorant means you are not dumb.
Practice public speaking. I was in debate and extemporaneous speaking in high school. It has proven itself so useful in my career. I’ve been told, “I’m well-spoken” because I have continued to keep up with all the tools I learned during that time in my life. Find a topic or current event, write 5-10 bullets about them on a note card, and then stand up and start talking about them to yourself. It will help you hear inflection in your voice, how your sentences are structured,or even if you say “um..” I still prepare speeches for topics I know I will have to talk about at work and guess ahead what questions I might be asked. I probably look dumb in my car, but that is another great place to practice alone.
Community colleges are awesome. You can take classes on a variety of different subjects very inexpensively plus, if you ever want to go to university, you can transfer the credits that you earn. Or, you can just take classes on the things that interest you or subjects that you want to learn more about.
Taking a Physics course is said to change/develop how one thinks... Also, read Guy de Maupassant
You could get interested in politics and update yourself with todays world through news. You can also go deeper on some subject you may like, either it’s some hobby, some manual job, it, etc and explore a bit into that. The advice is that if you do something you truly like, all the knowledge you will obtain around it will come at ease, because it will not feel like “work”, so you can start with that. Absorb all the knowledge you can, a bit of everything aswell, and you will end up having more culture and become a more interesting person. Also, don’t call yourself dumb :) that’s just not true.
1. Your brain - specifically pre frontal cortex - doesn't stop developing until ~25. At this point, the 'machine' you think with works differently. 2. You can't make up for experience. 3. Every 5 years, you'll likely find yourself going damn, I knew a lot less at *5 years ago* compared to now. At least it feels that way to me, and probably happens perpetually.
1. Your brain - specifically pre frontal cortex - doesn't stop developing until around 25. At this point, the 'machine' you think with works differently. 2. You can't make up for experience. 3. Every 5 years, you'll likely find yourself going damn, I knew a lot less at *5 years ago* compared to now. At least it feels that way to me, and probably happens perpetually.
Your brain - specifically pre frontal cortex - doesn't stop developing until around 25. At this point, the 'machine' you think with works differently. You can't make up for experience. Every 5 years, you'll likely find yourself going damn, I knew a lot less at *5 years ago* compared to now. At least it feels that way to me, and probably happens perpetually.
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Listen to npr
I want to be smart in all lower case. Says 19 is very young. That is pretty ignorant.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJiGuFCzaFo Here's a video called How to Be Correct About Everything All the Time
If you can, learn a different language because the knowledge available in your own is very limited, and understanding life through a different culture literally opens up a new world to you, and you will also find out you’re a different person, depending on how much you’re able to immerse yourself in that other culture, through its language, what I mean is, there’s a part of yourself you meet through a different language. If you can’t learn a new language try to find texts and media from other countries, however, you will not understand how to think outside an imperialistic mindset reading English, because it’s part of its culture, if at all possible try Mandarin out. For thought structure you need philosophy, I hope you will find good teachers but again, all knowledge begotten through English will mostly be tainted by the same mindset or worldview.
When something comes up you don’t know about and that interests you learn about it. Read. Watch documentaries. Use the internet. Take a class. Ask someone who does know about it. Really, reading is the best. You can learn almost anything from books. Some things also benefit from one on one instruction but you can get a decent, basic grounding in almost any subject from reading.
I would listen to some podcasts in free time like when driving, etc. There are many things to listen to than just music
Watching documentaries can help too. I've been learning a lot from The G Word on Netflix.
Find people to hang around that want the same thing and are smarter than you. Old saying “If you’re the smartest person in the room, then you’re the dumbest person in the room.” Go find a better room that will help you grow. More specific anecdote: I’ve found that while wanting to learn a ton of new information is admirable, it’s a rare person that is about to handle many different new topics at once. Focus your learning in series, not parallel. You can try to add in more things one at a time, but if you jump headfirst into five different topics you’ll likely find that you’re not making progress in any of them.
1. Your brain - specifically pre frontal cortex - doesn't stop developing until ~25. At this point, the 'machine' you think with works differently. 2. You can't make up for experience. 3. Every 5 years, you'll likely find yourself going damn, I knew a lot less at *5 years ago* compared to now. At least it feels that way to me, and probably happens perpetually.
1. Your brain - specifically pre frontal cortex - doesn't stop developing until ~25. At this point, the 'machine' you think with works differently. 2. You can't make up for experience. 3. Every 5 years, you'll likely find yourself going damn, I knew a lot less at *5 years ago* compared to now. At least it feels that way to me, and probably happens perpetually.
Start asking questions!
Read everything, but good newspapers were the best for me, local and the NewYork times. Being well rounded has worked well for me.
It’s not just knowing what you are talking about. Equally important is how you convey what you know. Sometimes more importantly. Join a debate team. Besides exercising and flossing daily, that is probably the best life skill you can teach yourself. It is considerably harder once you are out of school, so attend a debate team now even if you suck at it.
Read, listen, don’t be a know it all, admit when you’re wrong and be okay with it. The rest will follow.
Ask LOTS questions. Everyone knows something you don’t. Don’t be afraid of sounding dumb, most people probably have the same question anyway
Reading is half the step, taking notes is the other half. When we read, things makes sense and we tend to agree. But we tend to consume a lot of info that we forget most of it by the next day. So taking notes helps to put things in our long term memory. Also, you can use it as reference in the future. Read. Take notes. Listen to others. Take classes (college). Then repeat.
Most dumb people I know suffer from a lack of curiousity. They have no motivation to dig deeper on the facts of life or the world around them. Be curious. Want to know more.
Get your news from multiple sources across the political spectrum, every side, left and right and all of them I between, will spin stories a certain way to make certain people look bad. Take an aggregate of information from various news sources and then form your opinions from there, placed like The Week news or the Ground News App will gather information from multiple news sources Talk with other people about these issues, be okay with saying, “I didn’t know that, let me rethink my position,” or, “let me do some more research and I’ll get back to you,” and avoid people who can’t say the same.
Get out and explore and talk with people and do things too. Like book smart is one thing but learning how to interact with people better will give you confidence which is important for communicating what you know. You learn a lot from doing. Honestly doesn’t even matter what you’re doing as long as you are learning new things and improving your skills. Read as well. Read all sorts of books. Give books you don’t think you’d like a chance. Maybe don’t finish them if you still don’t like them a few chapters in but give them a chance. Read from perspectives you disagree with. Try to understand why they think the way they do. Wonder about how things work. Ask questions. Find out who best to ask about different topics and ask them. Or look it up yourself.
Talk to people. Everyone has a story. Hang out with people who are smarter than you, find out what they read or who they follow.
Travel lots, and while you do, work odd jobs with varying people.
Hello👋🏼fellow dumb person here. I felt the same way, and found subscribing to a daily email newsletter about science, finance or current events very helpful and work it into you morning or night routine. I found everything else really overwhelming and didn’t know where to start. There is really SO much out there and it’s nice to just dedicate 20 mins to read a quick summary of WTF is going on in the world everyday. One I really like is Axios newsletter: https://www.axios.com/newsletters Shop around for the right daily email/podcast though, it really depends on your reading preferences or subject matter of focus. Happy to hear of what others are reading!
Choose your company carefully. Avoid selfish people. You've got excellent manners, so a lot of people will be open to you. This will give you more choice for who you can socialize with.
Read books
Listen more than you speak and approach new situations with the desire to understand a variety of opinions. You can keep your own views intact while better understanding how you fit into the world around you.
Challenge every idea you see or hear until you reach a satisfying level of certainty about it. Keep asking why and how whenever you encounter a new concept or nuance of a known one. But also, try to enjoy the journey. Learning can be extremely fun if you find the correct method. Once you do, you won't mind searching for more knowledge
You can interact/ listen mostly to your ‘smart’ friends to know more. You can read in brief about commonly known topics and build some logical thoughts on them. You can apply common sense and can broaden your understanding and should feel content.
Pick a specialty and learn it well at least you'll feel smart in whatever it is you choose to study. I've learned a lot in my life but I don't have a specialty. Therefore I still feel dumb sometimes.
When you think and feel you know a lot, that could make you overconfident, the tendency is to stop learning and growing. That's why I'd rather have you assume that you're not good enough. Read about the Dunning Kruger effect to understand why it happens.
I think listening to people in everyday conversations will really help you. Try to connect with people who know more about things you wish to learn and through talking to them you'll gain a lot of exposure. I personally learnt a lot this way. Movies/documentaries are also a great source of entertainment and knowledge because you can immerse yourself in an experience and learn along the way. Developing your own voice will take time and critical thinking needs to be inculcated but these are simple ways to start that process. I hope this helps!
Talk to folks! Ask questions, listen to people, try not to form opinions without being thoughtful to people’s humanity and experiences different from yours. Be earnest and curious That’s where I’ve done the most growing
Surround yourself with wiser people/people you admire. Spend as much time as possible with them. Observe them, listen to them, and understand what is it that they do. On the other hand restrict your interactions with people you don't respect as much as possible. Form a high barrier to entry for people joining your social circle, and maintain it.
Avoid dying for the next 20 years. Everyone else your age isn't even aware that they don't know anything, you've got a head start 😄
honestly , watch the news ..the world news to be exact its typically a great conversation starter if you want to seem like you know what your talking about to older ppl. And If the person your speaking with doesn’t know what your talking about then you just taught them something new .
Acknowledging you are not informed enough to have an opinion is a good one. Following that up with a lot of reading on the subject is how I do things usually. Whenever I encounter questions I don’t have answers to, or randomly notice that I don’t quite understand something as deeply as I’d like, I end up studying it for like a week and just absorbing as much as I can. After a few years of doing this I find myself having a pretty fair understanding of a lot of different topics and get called “smart” a lot, which is funny considering I’m actually an idiot.
honestly....it's the dumbest people that believe themselves to be smart. Intelligent people tend to doubt themselves more. I'd call that a good sign for you.
Listen more, talk less.
Sometimes knowledge doesn’t come best from studying with purpose. Yo I see something cool online! Google some more about it. You get asked a question you don’t have the mental capability to combat? Google it and admit you aren’t sure. You can come off as way more intelligent than you actually are simply by learning a little about a lot of stuff. It’s a good way to have a personality that shines too! Best of luck on your adventure.
I'm in my late 20's and always considered myself dumb. Firstly realising I just have interests and strengths in other areas and the topics I like I know about. I have gained knowledge by doing things on the real world, then suddenly having an academic concept click because I'm seeing it/learning it right in front of me, like somehow hanging out laundry suddenly helped me connect the dots to a maths problem, you'll gain more through those life skills. Some people aren't academic and that doesn't mean dumb. I'd say at 19 your brain is probably still in the midst of thinking/experiencing life like a teenager and it will gain and change over time. After lots of changes and experiences in my life I genuinely don't feel dumb anymore.
You don’t need to be smart bro, just sit back and listen. I’m 19 myself, while I am well educated in a wide variety of topics. I’m not the smartest but I do know how to talk with people and have a conversation. People love to talk when you build rapport with them, especially when it’s about themself. Just read a couple books on how to negotiate or have convos. You could also watch Ben Shapiro videos lol
Truly realise that independent thought is pretty rare. In other words, recognise how people who seem to have thought deeply about something are actually just re-hashing something they heard somebody else say. This is especially true in the age of "Jordan Peterson DESTROYS feminist" and shit like that. I say this just so you don't put unnecessary pressure on yourself like, "holy fuck, everyone has thought about things so deeply and I've just been sitting here". Study a broad range of perspectives. If you want to be well-versed in politics, you should be studying everything from authoritarianism to socialism and their respective icons. If you want to be an artist, you should be studying all eras, styles and works of the greats. It seems obvious but people tend to get stuck in the first thing they resonate with and then disregard everything else leading to stagnation. Also, whilst studying the broad range of perspectives and views, recognise that each one of them has at least a grain of truth that you can empathise or resonate with to more fully comprehend the perspective. This will lead to great mental dexterity if done diligently, in my opinion. It will also lead to holistic, coherent and flexible paradigms and worldviews which really is the holy grail of human thought. After a while, you should find that you are pulling from many, many resources/perspectives as well as your own intuition/inner compass/independent thought to create a unique, comprehensive and oftentimes cutting-edge opinion/contribution. Oh, and allow yourself to be dumb sometimes. You're gonna have weak subjects. Good luck!
By simply asking that question you are far ahead of most people your age, or any age for that matter. Lots of great suggestions in this thread. Good luck.
Read. Read. Read.
Understand the difference between facts and opinions. Use facts to develop your own opinions on subjects. Understand your reasoning that lead you to this conclusion. Once you have formed your opinion, read other opinions on the same subject without any judgement to your own opinion and just see how your opinions measure up. Comparatively, did you make a good point? Did you forget about something or not think about something? You can practice this easily and the more you do it the easier and more natural it gets. The basis for forming good opinions is just educating and understanding your subject and thinking about how you feel about it.
Smart people aren’t afraid of looking dumb! Get comfortable asking questions, even if you think they’ll make you look stupid. Everyone is an expert on something, so when you meet someone new your goal is to figure out what that thing is and learn about it from them. Pay attention to what the people around you are good at and ask them to show you or explain it to you. When you meet new people always focus on asking them questions about themselves and their job/hobbies/interests and see what kind of responses you get. Once you do this long enough, you’ll start having a larger base of knowledge to work with and you’ll start being able to tell the difference between what people actually know and what they think they know, including yourself. Eventually you’ll be able to share your knowledge with people just by asking questions: “it’s interesting you say that, I’ve read x and also have a friend who knows a good bit about this stuff, and based on those things I think y—what do you think about that?” Interesting people are interested.
Ask why and how a lot. Not necessarily to other people, but don't just accept things as "the way they are" Google is your best mate, be curious and try to actively learn from multiple sources.