"Sell Your Cleverness"

The title and topic of this post is a quote by Rumi, a 13th-century Sufi mystic and poet.

"Sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment," he said. 

Initially, this sentiment may feel entirely counter-intuitive, especially when referenced by an SAT / ACT prep coach.  

Isn't my job to help you to increase your cleverness? Doesn't cleverness come from knowledge? Isn't knowledge valuable?

To this, I answer, "Of course!" knowledge is wonderful! Quite frankly, so is cleverness—when it manifests as mental agility.

But, that's not what Rumi is talking about here.

Rumi is talking about the very natural human desire to "know stuff."

Linear regression lines?
"Yeah, we covered them in school. I already know about them."

Impromptu essays?
"I'll just free write it. I have good ideas. I can figure it out as I go."

Answer a problem incorrectly?
"Oh, yeah. That was just a stupid mistake. No problem. I'll get it next time."

When we feel like we know something, we feel powerful and in control.  But, is that "knowledge" real gold or fool's gold?

So often, our desire to "know stuff" leads to a reflexive brush-off of opportunities to refine our skills, enhance our knowledge, or look squarely at our mistakes.

Bewilderment, on the other hand, is the quality of encountering the world with the awe of a child. With this mindset, we are open. When we are open, we can learn, grow, and transform. {Tweet It} 

Curiosity. It's a beautiful thing.

This week, take some time to review the fundamentals. Try out a new test-taking strategy.  Spend a good amount of time reviewing your wrong answers and linking them back to the related concepts. Sign up for a class or some coaching. 

Let me know what you discover along the way.


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