Street Shark - 2/1/19

I grew up in a Chinese household. When my parents talked about how so-and-so was smart, it was usually followed up with a number. Like, “William is so smart. He has a 4.1 GPA.” Sometimes it was even a letter. Like, “William is so smart. He has a A++ average.” The rules were laid out early and repeated often. The higher the number and more A+s you have, the smarter you were. The smarter you were, the more success you would have in life.

Seemed simple enough.

But as I begin to spend more time outside my family, I begin to hear things like, “Jimmy doesn’t get good grades, but he has street smarts.” Street smarts? What the heck are street smarts? That’s a whole ‘nother classification of smart I’ve never heard of! Where to buy drugs? How not to get kidnapped? HOW to kidnap?? My mind went rampant on these new “smarts” one could acquire.

In high school, the saying “the higher the GPA, the lower the common sense,” seemed to prove evident as stories surfaced of smart kids doing dumb things when it came to “life stuff." Valedictorians almost burning the house down when trying to cook, washing colors with whites, driving with the parking brake on.

Life stuff.

The definition of smart became more than numbers. Success more than letters.

As an adult, I am constantly reminded of just how relative “intelligence” is. There’s fluid intelligence, creative intelligence, spatial intelligence, kinesthetic intelligence, and of course, street intelligence. I'm sure I've left out a few good ones. Depending on the scenario, one is more valuable than the other. Michael Phelps may be shitty at a desk job, but look what he does in the water, where everyone else might drown.

If you ever hear a voice telling you that you are not worthy enough, not smart enough, not qualified enough, not pretty enough, can't get paid that much, are too tall, or too short to be successful, try and think about the first time you felt that way. Remember the first time you heard that voice. The first time it was SAID to you. I guarantee it wasn’t you! Often times it is a family member, peer, teacher, or manager, and it happened early in our lives or careers. It’s fucking crazy how many people's beliefs are influenced by these voices for decades, and even until the grave. It’s even more difficult if these voices are present, currently active, and persistent.

That doesn’t mean it’s you.

Find an environment where you can nurture your passions, grow your skills, and enjoy the tasty fruits of your labor. This could mean a job change, distancing oneself from old friends, or even ending a relationship. If you were told you were an ugly duckling, that's because you’re not even a duck. You’re a fucking shark and you need to find an ocean to do your shark stuff. And sharks don’t give a shit about grades or performance reviews.

They only care about being a shark.

Fuck yeah, it's Friday!

Photo by Simon Ko