Thinking ahead and being thoughtful is great. Being very smart is a nice thing to have in life and business and art.
I’ve noticed that most very intelligent people tend to place an enormous amount of stock in their intellect and when they approach a new venture, possible business deal, or have a crazy idea they want to go for, they spend all their time thinking through the process and most often find all the reasons why it will be a total waste of time. That is then the reason used to justify not giving it a shot.
If you want to photograph a president, start by asking. Stop thinking about how much of a long shot it is.
If you want to form a relationship with a big shot in your industry, reach out and ask for the connection. Maybe, offer something of value to get your foot in the door.
Stop neutering yourself by cutting off opportunities because your ever-wise and perfect intelligence convinces you that it just can’t happen.
That’s why I say to “be dumb enough to be successful.” Intelligence is not a silver bullet and not being that "smart" can be of great use. I’ve found that many so-called smart people lack the boldness of the people they look down on as “dumb.”
In business, I’d rather be dumb and bold than smart and too timid to do anything with it. And some of the dumbest people I've ever worked with have been the most "educated". Don't let anyone's perception of your intelligence hold you back even an inch!
Maybe those people aren’t quite as dumb as you may think. Maybe they possess a certain boldness that could change your life if only you’d be dumb enough to try.