Two Kinds of Smart People...

Have you ever talked with someone who used every word in the dictionary to form a simple sentence—the kind of person who regurgitates his intellect and rolls around on the floor in it? You know the type...they look for every opportunity to broadcast their brilliance. The effort is deliberate and overbearing--even obnoxious. Quite frankly, it's disgusting. However, this person doesn't seem to have any idea of that. They are so caught up in making sure you see them in the way that they want to be seen, and don't even realize that they've rammed their genius down your throat. I've watched this type of person change the mood in a room. Most of the time I’m able to fight off the urge to call the person out on it (I've got quite the reputation for being brutally honest...matter-of-fact...direct), but, more than a few times, I've been the person who said what everyone else was thinking. You don't have to wear a "Brainpower" t-shirt or shout your I.Q. score through a megaphone in order to let people know that you're smart. In fact, you don't have to tell people anything, they can always figure out more about you by what you do than by what you say.


When Christine Romans of CNN asked Van Jones to share the best advice he had ever gotten, he told her what his dad had advised him just before he went off to law school:

"Listen, when you get there, you're going to see, there are two kinds of smart people. There are smart people that take very simple things and make them sound very complicated so they can enrich themselves, and there are people who take very complicated things and make them sound simple to empower other people. I want you to be that kind of smart kid when you come back home."

I absolutely love and live by that advice!

...and I'll admit, I get a real kick out of seeing the "smart" guys light bulb dim as he begins to realize that the "cut-ups" in the room are brighter than he could ever dream of being, but have chosen to leave their megaphones at home.

Learning to Forgive...the Hard Way

When you think about “forgiving” you probably immediately think of a person who has wronged you.  The idea of forgiving the person (or persons) may bring on feelings of guilt too—especially when the person wants your forgiveness, but you can’t seem to move beyond your indignation.  Sometimes trying to explain why you can’t forgive to someone else is even more difficult…because you actually have to hear how petty or illogical your rationale sounds.  In some cases, forgiveness is a challenge because of painful memories or scars (physical or mental).  These can be tough to overcome. 

We all struggle with the notion of forgiving, sometimes choosing to embrace it, other times deciding to dismiss it.  The decision is always personal—no one can make you forgive.  I am not writing to try and change that either.  However, I will share that I learned the importance of forgiving the hard way.  When I was a teenager, I lost my dearest friend in a car accident.  At the time I was not speaking to her because of something that was so irrelevant but seemed reason enough at the time.  When I received the news that she had been in a car accident, I pleaded with God to spare her life.  I begged for one more opportunity to tell her that I loved her.  I never got that opportunity.  I was devastated.  You see, it had never occurred to me that we wouldn’t have the chance to make amends.  We were 18…we had so many years ahead of us.  That’s what I thought, but I was wrong. 

As a result of that experience, I have always asked myself an important question whenever the issue of forgiveness is on the table.  I reflect on the person who I am upset with and I ask myself this:  If something were to happen that resulted in the death of this person, would it matter to me?  Would I wish that I had handled the situation differently?  If I can’t say “No” then I have to let it go.  Whatever you decide to do, make sure that you can live with the decision because pleading, begging, and bargaining with God will not turn back the hands of time.