8 Ways
to Supercharge Your Intelligence TODAY by Dr. Robert Garcia
(Image courtesy of Stinta Technica)
We all
dream of it. We wonder what it would be like to think faster, to recall
information, to be able to effortlessly comprehend difficult concepts and
processes. While I cannot promise you a four digit IQ like Eddie Moura from
Limitless, I can share with you some of the techniques I have developed as an
intelligence specialist and a six degreed author.
Read these techniques carefully
and more than once. Understand the concepts behind them and you will start to
adapt them into your everyday life. They aren't just arbitrary concepts that I
thought would make an interesting sounding article. They are the culmination of
over 14 books I have read on higher intelligence, my everyday practices, and my
analysis of geniuses throughout history.
1. Acceptance of Cognitive Ability
The very first thing you will
have to do is accept your higher intelligence. Tell yourself that you are going to
be smarter, think faster, and take advantage of the fastest computer in recorded
human history- your brain. Your belief systems will subconsciously cause you to
behave in a more analytical way. The very act of telling yourself that you are
a smart person will cause you to behave like a smart person.
Wake up in the morning and say
out loud, "I am going to have supercharged intelligence today" or
"I am going to think like a genius today."
Promise to adapt higher
intelligence habits. Instead of watching TV, go to the library, or study some
math that interests you. Read a Popular Science, or study a high IQ person.
These are all great ways to start thinking at that next higher level.
2. Create Recognition and Familiarity
As human beings, we tend to shy
away from the unknown and the unfamiliar. This is a natural survival mechanism
but does not always work in our favor. Many high school students become
terrified of math as soon as they start to venture into material that they
cannot grasp. The symbols, variables, and equations start to run together and
the mind shuts down. This leads to a failure spiral that keeps many people from
reaching their academic goals.
The secret to overcoming these
fears is repetition. Read hard to understand passages over and over, take notes
on key points. Practice writing out problems or concepts until your muscle
memory takes over. Once you start to recognize these concepts and problems,
they are much less scary and not as intimidating. Doing daily reviews of
challenging material can help to relax the brain and avoid negative reactions.
I strongly recommend reading your information sources until "intellectual
deja vu" appears.
3. Evolve From Surface Thinking
Surface thinking is a concept
that I invented a few years ago. If you have ten random people that are exposed
to an event, what is the first impression that at least 8 of them have? That's
surface thinking. The first reaction to something, the first thought process or
statement. A truly intelligent person will learn to probe above just the
surface and draw conclusions that are much more detailed and thought out.
Here is an example. A high
school student, a high school teacher, and a college professor with a PhD. all
get a copy of Lord of the Flies and read it. The student, being a surface
thinker, will describe it as a book with a weird kid on the cover with leaves on
his face. It's about a bunch of kids on an island.
The high school teacher will be
able to describe it by chapters and be able to talk about main events and their
place in the literary timeline of the book. They will be able to describe the
tone and the characters.
The college professor will
understand the value of the book as a literary classic and be able to compare
it to other literary classics that contain similar themes. They will be able to
describe the significance of each character to the plotline of the story and
even why they exist in the story. The professor can point out underlying
messages to the reader and even to society as a whole. They will describe the
author's intent and message with certain events and will be able to recognize
major plot points and evolutions in the story.
Can you see the difference in
the three thought processes? The professor is functioning at the highest level
because they have had an education that requires significant research, widening
of intellectual thought, and expansion of spatial knowledge. They have long
since surpassed surface thinking.
4. Gather High Tier Sources
In the book Limitless, by Alan
Glynne, the main character takes a pill that gives him superhuman intelligence.
He quickly becomes an expert in many subjects which leads to his rapid
ascension to success. We can emulate his actions and habits for our own
purposes. When he wants to learn about the stock market, he gets high end books
on options trading. He reads Bloomberg and follows several financial newspapers
and magazines. He listens to high yield investors in the field and creates his
own sphere of intelligence.
When he is asked to take part in
a multi-billion dollar corporate merger, he reads graduate level textbooks on
corporate finance, learns about complex pricing models like the Black-Scholes
Model, and studies past financial mergers that were similar in nature.
Remember, you are only as good
as the material you absorb. Your brain will naturally synthesize these
materials and create fresh concepts for you. It's up to you to gather high tier
sources to supercharge it into action.
5. Learn the Language
When trying to learn new
concepts, one of the fastest ways to quickly comprehend it is to "learn
the language." All complicated processes or subjects have acronyms,
commonly used terms, buzzwords, and vocabulary that is specific to that field.
The quickest way to memorize
their meanings and usage is by using flash cards and quizzing yourself.
Practice using these terms in sentences and understanding their meaning. Repeat acronyms to yourself until you can
recall them effortlessly. Once you understand these terms, your comprehension
of the subject matter will increase rapidly.
6. Create a Related Product
In my book, The Next Level, I
used Creation as a method of gaining mastery of a skill. By making a tangible
product that is usable to others, you are demonstrating your aptitude and level
of comprehension. Studying graphic design? Make an online portfolio. Learning
to code? Create a flash animation. Studying electronics? Build a simple
calculator or a voice changer.
By creating a product, you are
demonstrating that you understand and can apply the principles you have
learned. You are increasing your aptitude and you are showing others that you
can perform in this particular field.
7. Find the Pros
When trying to gain a
supercharged intellectual goal. it is always a good idea to seek out mentors.
Who are the innovators in that particular field? Who is widely regarded as the
best? Who stands out as a respected member of that community? That is the
person you should be studying.
Mentors show us what we can be,
how to do things better, and can be great guides in our goals. Plus they are
usually willing to share their processes, habits, and learned skills. In many
occasions, a mentor can "see" if you are making a mistake and correct
you. Learning from the best is a great way to advance mentally.
8. Develop Spatial Knowledge
Your mind is a virtual universe
of understanding and advanced neural networks just begging to be tested. Your
spatial knowledge is your mental ability to draw diagrams of processes, to
imagine scenarios, and complicated relationships between working parts,
variables, or even people.
Architects use spatial knowledge
to imagine the structure of buildings long before the first beams are put
together. Surgeons use spatial knowledge to imagine a medical procedure. Pilots
use spatial knowledge to plot out flight routes in their head.
You can use spatial knowledge to
aid in your desire to think faster and understand things better. Use dry erase
boards to map out processes. Learn how to tie parts together and their
relationships. Use multiple sources of information like books or magazines to
"paint" the picture mentally of what you are trying to learn. Think
of an object such as a Toyota
Practice expanding your spatial
knowledge on your desired topic and ask yourself, can I conceptualize this and could I teach it?
Once the answer is yes, you know
that you have now become smarter and are in a higher intellectual state than
you started out at. Congratulations.
