Why High IQ Level Is Not A Gauge To Success In Life

Why High IQ Level Is Not A Gauge To Success In Life

On the basis of a test, a person’s intellectual level represented by a number determines his/her IQ level. The higher the number, the more intelligent the person is. Does high intellect guarantee success in life?

At first glance, most would believe so. This belief is borne on the perception that many of the world’s great names of successful individuals have been gifted with high IQ or intellect. There is no denial, although not all monetary or personal success attributed to fame are products of intellectual minds. Various other factors contribute to the success of an intellectual person. These factors also apply to individuals with average intellect. Some successes are triggered by factors that hardly have anything to do with intellect; like opportunity, timing, perseverance, and sheer hard work. More than intellect, devotion or love for one’s work is vital to success. When love is poured into one’s work, the hardships that go with it somehow diminish and make difficulties endurable.

In the same context, not all intellectually gifted individuals reach the pinnacle of success. Some hardly touch the base. One of the irony of a highly intellectual individual with reference to success is the pressure he or she feels from within. The people around, especially those who know about the individual being highly intellectual, expect success out of him or her. The pressure is stronger when the individual is compelled of the expectation. Somehow, this kind of forceful pressure runs contrary to the flow of achieving the success aimed for. The push creates anxiety.

While perseverance is somewhat a kind of pressure, we have to distinguish the difference between the two. Perseverance is pressure exerted on one’s self, not by external forces. Perseverance is pressure that leans towards positive action and optimism. The commitment is to self, not to others.

It may be worthwhile to note that the intelligence of a person can be very variable. An intelligent person can come up with a myriad of ideas. Life does not offer any guarantee of success and neither does ideas, no matter how numerous they are. However, even a single simple idea becomes golden if it aptly fits into the possibility of attaining success that may change one’s life; turning it around completely from nothing to something.

At times, ideas can do funny things to one’s life. The more a person forcibly thinks to come up with an idea to succeed in life, the more the idea seems to play the role of the unreachable star. There are instances a person hardly apply any force whatsoever and still comes up with an idea or a formula for success. Ideas come by chance. A person may chance by a place, saw something insignificant (but significant to the person), and an idea pops up. And this hardly has bearing to intelligence, if ever. Intelligence and ideas are loosely interrelated. One doesn’t need to be an above average or intelligent person to come up with great ideas and vice versa.

The notion that intelligence cannot be acquired is wrong. Neither is intelligence in a person fixed. Intelligence can be equated to building one’s physique, for instance. How does one develop a muscular body? The gym can help. A body building equipment can help. But the main component to a muscular body is continuous exercise and repeated patterns of toning the muscles. Nobody gets a muscular body overnight. It takes time.

The same thing is true with a boxer. It takes practice to be good in boxing. And this is true with just about any kind of sports activity. Hard work, perseverance, and commitment to an endeavor are some key components to sports and success in life. Intelligence is just part of success in life. Intelligence alone does not guarantee success.

Simply, success is like a dish; many ingredients contributed to the taste. With success, intelligence is one of them but it is not the only one. And if intelligence is lacking, it can be developed. Resourcefulness and perseverance are the other components. More importantly, the love for work should be present.