5 Common Mistakes Smart People Make

Note: This article is by Darius Foroux, who tells us about some common mistakes that smart people can make.

In addition, the smartest and most successful people in history made the most mistakes, and I believe that there is a relationship between people’s intelligence and making mistakes, and the physicist Albert Einstein expressed this issue clearly by saying, “Anyone who has not made a mistake in his life has not tried anything new at all."

I've always blamed myself for making mistakes in life, and I think that's how our society works. When you were a kid, you were punished for making mistakes both in school and life, and because of that, we think it's normal to punish each other as adults.

But why punish yourself or anyone else for making silly mistakes? Most mistakes in life are small and can be undone (I'm not talking about committing serious crimes or mistakes).

However, what matters is that we learn from our mistakes, and one of the best qualities one can have in life is to be tolerant. You should go easy on yourself when you fail. The same applies for the people in our lives. The English poet Alexander Pope put it in a marvelous way when he said, "Fault is man, and forgiveness is God."

When people cross the line, just move on; there is no need to complicate things. In life, there are always limits one should not cross. If you maintain a high moral standard, you are doing the right thing. If you make mistakes, so what? No one is perfect.

5 Mistakes smart people make

Remember, you don't have to make these mistakes yourself, but it's best to learn from them:

1. The pursuit of money

A while ago, I read the book How to Get Rich by Felix Dennis, who owns one of the largest magazine publishing houses in the United Kingdom. Contrary to the title, the book actually tries to dissuade you from the pursuit of money. The richest people will tell you the same thing. The strange thing is that we all know that life is more than just making money, yet we make it our only goal. “People who are narrow-minded and can only see how to make money think that is all there is to life,” says Dennis.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to get rich, but we just have to remind ourselves that making money beyond a certain amount has little effect on our happiness. Somehow, we see things from a narrow perspective, and again, trying to get rich is not wrong, but it is wrong to expect that this is the solution to all your problems.

2. Making light of your sleep

When you are passionate about something, you want to spend all your time on it, and that certainly feels great, but when your enthusiasm prevents you from getting enough and good sleep, you try to change that. That was one of the biggest difficulties for me. I can read and work all day until the end of the night.

But when I go to bed at 2 a.m. and wake up 8 hours later, I'm tired, but somehow, it's different when I go to bed at 11 p.m. and wake up at 7 a.m.; I feel much more energetic.

For the past year, I have been taking sleep more seriously. I have been waking up at the same time every morning and turning off my electronic devices exactly one hour before bed. This means stopping any work or heavy mental activity before bed and just doing some light reading or writing a diary.

3. Overindulgent use of social media

Technology has bloomed in the last decade. Almost everyone has a smartphone connected to the Internet. In a few years, the whole world will depend on Internet access, even the least developed countries. Modern technology has changed the world; these developments must be great, but remember that overusing something, even if it is good, does harm.

This also applies to your smartphone, tablet, and laptop. Recent research shows that Generation Z (born after 1995) is more distressed and anxious than other generations, according to the American Psychological Association. Gen Z has "the worst mental health of all other generations." Evidence suggests that heavy smartphone use is one of the biggest causes of this state of mind. Hence, for several years, I've been trying to limit my smartphone use.

4. Not enough exercise

Life is full of obligations, and our biggest obligations are work, then our commitment to family and friends and spending most of our time with them, and obligations to pay periodic bills. In addition, unexpected things can happen all the time: a crisis at work or the illness of a family member.

It's all part of life, and when these things happen, it's very easy to give up and ignore self-interest like exercise and not prioritize it, but after a while, you may feel tired and weak, you may run out of breath after going up a few stairs, and you may complain when you can't find a parking space in front of the store, forcing you to walk a long distance that you do not want. You may also suffer back pain from sitting too much, gain extra weight, and no longer stand looking at yourself in the mirror.

So don't let it get to that; get some exercise at least three times a week and go for a walk on the other days. You will gain physical strength and fitness, and in addition, you will feel better.

5. Overconfidence

One of the cognitive biases that affects smart people the most is overconfidence. When you're good at something, it's easy to overestimate yourself; most people can feel it—not only the arrogant—from the kindest and calmest to the most extroverted. Researchers have found three ways that overconfidence can occur:

• Thinking you are better than you let yourself believe.
• An exaggerated belief that you are better than others.
• Excessive conviction that you know the truth.

Let's be honest: how many times have we thought we could take on challenges and then discovered we couldn't? Or did we think we could do a better job than our co-workers or competitors? And when we have conversations, how often do we think we know everything?

It's the classic predicament of smart people, but as you and I know, the wisest people in history have said they don't know a lot, so why are we still overconfident?

I think one of the reasons is that you stop doubting yourself after you've had some small success, and it's great to think you're better, but the moment you start thinking you're better, you're already losing. When you stop doubting yourself, you stop learning, and only losers don't learn. So instead, rely on the things that got you where you are right now: curiosity, passion, excitement, and most of all, hard work.