9 things smart people never, ever do

Do you know someone who’s smart enough to impress a room full of people they’ve never met?

It sounds like an impossible feat, but it isn’t. And let me tell you why.

Smart people live in a way that allows them to reap all the benefits of everything they’ve ever experienced, whether it’s at school, at work, or in life…

That said, here are 9 things they never, ever do so you’d better be taking notes.

Let’s jump in…

1) They never try to please others

The first thing smart people never do is try to please others! Now why is that?

First of all, it’s a waste of time. Imagine how much effort you will have spent trying to get someone to think highly of you, when you could just prove it to them…

This is something smart people are aware of: they know that their intelligence speaks for itself. And if it doesn’t impress others, it’s not a big deal.

At the end of the day, a smart person only tries to please themselves!

Let me explain.

A smart person holds themselves to a very high standard, and is always trying to do better than the last time.

So here’s the second part of why smart people never try to please others: they’re too busy trying to be the best version of themselves!

2) They never rely on luck

And that brings me to my next point: smart people never rely on luck alone to get where they need to be.

As I mentioned earlier, smart people know that they’re good enough to go places – be it a prestigious college or the job of their dreams.

At the same time, they know that achieving these goals requires real effort. A smart person is aware that it takes a lot of research, practice, and trying and failing in order to succeed.

That’s why they never resort to kissing a** or doing favours to get ahead, as they know there’s no such thing as shortcuts.

In fact, here’s why smart people believe it’s best to work hard on your own: if you owe someone a favour – say, they helped you secure a role – they may want something in return.

And you just can’t be sure what that would be…

3) They never procrastinate (even when they want to)

Here’s another thing smart people never do: procrastinate!

I know, I know. You must be wondering: do smart people really have that much self-control?

Yes, they do! And it’s not that they never feel like procrastinating…they do.

Smart people simply understand that it’s part of achieving a goal. Sometimes, you get bored midway and want a distraction.

But it’s never a good thing to indulge yourself too much! And that’s something a smart person always tries to remember.

These people are able to balance their wants with their immediate goals; for example, if they want to take a break, they’ll make sure to finish a bulk of their work for the day before doing so.

And they may even save time: they’ll watch an educational TV show while snacking on something delicious!

4) They never take things for granted

Next up on the list? A smart person never, ever takes things for granted. And that includes even the goals they’ve achieved by themselves.

A smart person is going to be the first to pat themselves on the back for working hard!

Here’s why it’s important to never take things for granted: we become complacent, and don’t feel as hungry as we did in the beginning to succeed.

This hunger is something that a smart person knows how to keep alive.

In fact, it’s part of why they can be so ambitious: they never want to stop learning, and believe there’s so much more to life!

In order to never take things for granted, we’ve got to appreciate the time we spend on our goals every day.

For example, a smart person may keep a notebook reminding them of their wins.

And whenever they feel demotivated – yes, it happens – they’ll flip through the pages and remember what they’re capable of…

5) They never let the past define them

Here’s another thing smart people never do: let the past define them.

Many of us are held back by failures that we’ve had in the past, and they bother us enough to make us give up on our dreams.

Here’s what I mean.

We tend to stop ourselves from experiencing new things in our lives because we’re afraid of failing again. We also have little hope for the future because we can’t be sure that things will be better!

If this is you, you’ve got to snap out of it! It’s time to take back control of your life instead of sitting in the passenger’s seat.

A smart person knows that failure is inevitable in life; but they understand very deeply that you can’t grow without it.

And this brings me to my next point…

6) They never run away from challenges

…which is that a smart person never, ever runs away from challenges. That’s right, they are always putting themselves out of their comfort zone to be able to experience all that life has to offer.

Wouldn’t it be nice to be that person with lots of stories to tell about their adventures?

That’s one of the goals of a smart person: they want to feel that they have lived their lives to the fullest.

What better way to do that than to get comfortable with challenges?

Here’s the thing: it’s not that a smart person never experiences fear or doubt. And it’s not that they’ve never felt crippling anxiety.

They have! I mean, we’re all human – a smart person simply believes that it’s important to push past the fear to see what lies ahead.

In fact, a smart person gets a kick out of solving problems. That could be why they’re drawn to challenges in the first place: it’s a fun exercise for their brain…

A smart person is also living proof that challenges build resilience – it helps them stay strong when the going gets tough.

7) They never gossip (who likes that?)

Let’s talk about another thing that smart people never do: gossip. And we all know that these people have better things to do with their time!

A smart person doesn’t bother about the latest celebrity gossip or what their best friend’s ex-colleague did to them.

It’s just empty chatter!

What these people prefer to do is seek out other types of information; say, an article about the latest developments in medical technology.

Or, it could be something simple like how to build a spiritual practice. A smart person is never opposed to learning new things!

You’ll likely find a smart person in the corner at a party, scrolling on their phone while everyone is preoccupied with drama on the other side.

And you may be thinking: “That person looks so unfriendly!”

Well, think again – a smart person is simply saving their energy for more important things…

8) They never interrupt when others are speaking

So I mentioned earlier that a smart person never gossips – that also happens to be a sign of a good communicator who prefers to talk to people directly.

Rather than behind their back…

And so let’s talk about this next point: a smart person never interrupts when others are speaking.

It’s all about consideration – a smart person knows that it’s important to treat others the way you want to be treated.

During a conversation where both parties are highly engaged, there is a tendency to want to interrupt – after all, we’re so excited to make our point!

Moderation is also important; a smart person has practiced this many times, and in all of their conversations…

This allows them to hear the other person out and take in their perspective. And maybe they might learn something new, which is exciting for them anyway!

9) They never look down on others

Finally, a smart person never looks down on others. Are you surprised to hear that?

You may think a smart person is someone who’s full of themselves because they seem to have it all figured out.

But that’s far from the truth: a smart person is humble, because, as I mentioned earlier, they’re always certain there’s something new to learn!

It’s by treating others equally that a smart person realizes this: no matter how much you know, or how intelligent you think you are, it doesn’t make you better than others…

That’s why the smartest people often aspire to use their knowledge to help others succeed and achieve their dreams.