Get Smart

1. 1. An obvious recommendation to getting smart is to stop doing things that cause stupidity- like watching most or all of what's on T.V. many "games" etc. This will free up a lot of time and brain space. Yet again I recommend Neil Postman's Dumbing Us Down.
2. Decide that it is o.k. to fail and look stupid. I've learned a lot by admitting I don't know something. I ask questions all the time. I have disciplined myself and challenge the students that I have each year to think of questions to ask every time they hear a presentation, sermon or speech. This requires analytical thinking skills, discipline and humility. Surprisingly, I've had people respond to a question condescendingly, as if there really are stupid questions.. Thankfully I'm old enough that I no longer care.
3. If something is foolish (a movie, music, book, decor, clothes) get rid of it. Let's face it- some books are not worth reading (my list is long- especially of young adult books). Some fashions are best forgotten (in reality the 70's look was unattractive when it first came out-WHY revisit it?) Let Philippians 4:8 be your guide: Finally brothers whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think of these things." David deSilva's book Honor, Patronage, Kinship & Purity: Unlocking New Testament Culture is a paradigm shifting read and addresses holiness and honor in a way that our culture just doesn't get and might just change your understanding of what is worthy of your life.
4. Develop critical thinking skills. Critical Thinking Co. http://www.criticalthinking.com/index.jsp has excellent tools and resources for students of all ages. Learn about Socratic Questioning, Literary Analysis and the Scientific Method.
5. Read. Read some more. Read even more. If you don't "like" to read, discipline yourself to read anyway. Oftentimes we don't like what we're not good at. The more you read the better you'll be at it and the easier it will be for you. There are many great books like Mortimer Adler's How to Read a Book that will give you tools needed to read well.
6. Listen - there are tons of teaching tapes, materials, music out there that will expand how you think. The Internet is a great resource. Train yourself to be an auditory learner. I am naturally not an auditory learner but I have become one. I listen, ask questions, rewind, play back, ask questions, think it through.
7. Read.
8. Surround yourself with smart people. My dh is currently insanely interested in Hebraic Christianity- the history, architecture, language, sociology, scripture, travel, timeline, etc of this topic. He is a deep thinker who structures the information that he has well, strategies and synthesizes it with other information that he owns, makes connections. It is a joy to listen and learn from him because he is an extraordinary and disciplined thinker and brilliant teacher.
9. Follow "rabbit trails" of interest to you. My dd has been interested in tea parties since she was a little girl. This interest has led to her knowledge about food, cooking and baking, herbs, gardening, decorating, the history and ritual of tea, the importance of ritual and purity, modesty, and femininity, etc.
10. Share your knowledge. Teach a class, start a blog, write a magazine article, teach a group of kids, give a slide show, join a hobby group. Teaching something forces you to learn it very well or look like an idiot.
11. Realize that you will be "smart" in some areas and not in others. I think I'm pretty smart in some areas and definitely inferior in others. That's o.k. I only have so much time so I "get smart" in areas that are of value to me or an area I need to understand- like gardening, education, human development, etc. I'm saving areas, like, say, math for other people to be smart in. I think that's pretty generous of me, don't you?
12. Read. Read some more. Take the 9/9/9 challenge or the 52 books a year challenge (lots of reading groups to join on line). It's a great way to discipline your reading and delve into areas that you might not otherwise.
13. Seek wisdom. There is a proverb that says "By knowledge a house is built. By understanding it is established. By wisdom it is filled with pleasant and precious riches." Following the trivium, a classical approach to education and learning (knowledge =grammar, understanding =dialectic and wisdom = rhetoric) in how we approach subjects. We learn bit by bit instead of being overwhelmed by what we don't know.
14. Read.
15. Learn how to memorize. I truly believe that teaching my children how to memorize is one of the greatest gifts (along with reading) that we've given them.
16. Memorize a timeline of history. You would be surprised at how much information starts making sense when you have a framework to organize the content with. Timelines rock- check out Vertias Press' http://www.veritaspress.com/illustrated timeline cards.
17. Realize that it takes TIME to get smart. Andrew Crouch of Culture Making http://www.culture-making.com/states that it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at something. Sticktoittiveness counts for a lot in the smart department.
18. You have to want it cause you'll probably have to work for it. I've known some truly brilliant people in my life. I'm not one of them. No matter how much I study and learn I'll just never have their smarts. That's o.k, I'll have my own. There are different kinds of intelligence as well and you can check out 7 Types of Intelligence by Howard Gardner to find out more about them.
19. Develop a love of learning. Be curious, inquisitive, willing to look like a simpleton, hungry for more. Live large, dream big, want more. Don't settle for status quo, get comfortable, settle in. The world is a oyster waiting for you to discover the mystery and beauty hidden within.
20. READ.

I'd love to hear your ideas for getting smart. Just leave a comment and tell me what you think!