I took an on-line IQ test and did very well. However, I'm wondering if I did well simply because this could be a marketing tool trying to suck me into a mind-training/challenge sort of service. Because the thing is, I don't feel smarter than 95% of the population. And I know of plenty of people who know me who think I'm an idiot at times. I know that I often feel stupid and confused at work. My job absolutely calls for more intelligence than I have. And maybe I hang out with too many intelligent people (like my husband), because I always feel as though I'm just not at their level.
I had a confrontation with a client who wanted me to do something for him because he was "too busy to figure it out." Well, I couldn't do it for him because there are some task we are told we should not do. That doesn't mean I wouldn't go on and make sure I could figure it out. But I had to ask others who knew more than I do and with their guidance, I learned what this other person wasn't willing to figure out. Now I have improved my ability and I feel a little smarter. The thing is, the task involved math! The person who I had the issue with has a PhD while I have a BA. I did then show him how to do the calculation.
In addition to the IQ test, I ran our income through a calculator that tells you where you fall in the middle class. Turns out we are upper middle class. I guess my lifestyle never got that memo. We have two cars over ten years old (one is 14 years old). Our house is small by American standards. We have no granite counter tops, no HE washer/dryer set, and our only stainless steel appliance is the refrigerator. When we look at HGTV, everyone lives in a nicer house! I guess that I don't believe we're that well off because we don't live like we do and I usually feel like we live "lower" than others. But the thing is, the test judged your income and had nothing to do with how much it cost you to live, just the average income of where you were.
I think people buy into things like this. The numbers are impressive, but reality is a little harsher. That's why I'm always trying to do with less. I have this paranoia that even when things look good, there is danger underneath. Maybe that's good -- or maybe that's deflating and unhealthy. I'm not sure, and hopefully I won't suffer too much if I don't get it figured out.
If you feel like you are smarter than everyone in the room, you are hanging out with the wrong crowd. I like to be around people who are smarter than me, and I have a high IQ.
ReplyDeleteNow that is an excellent rule to live by!
DeleteWe don't try to keep up with the Joneses either. We have a 16 year old car that still has not many miles on it. As long as it runs well enough, and isn't too hideous looking we won't get rid of it! It's saving us a lot of money. By living frugally, we will be sending our daughter to University this fall with no student loans - hooray! This is profoundly more important to us than having granite counter tops or trendy new kitchen appliances. As I drive by all those luxury cars on the road, all I can think is: No, I'm not impressed; and I am so thankful that we keep our expenses low enough that we don't feel trapped or threatened by possible job loss.
ReplyDeleteOur 14 year old car has 72K miles on it. My ten year old car has 143K. We hope to be able to double the miles on each -- who cares what they look like???
DeleteI can't do math. That's what calculators are for. My brain is full of too many other messy things to think about along with a lot of anxiety that stems from my lack of self confidence. I used to think I was pretty smart, but now, approaching 60, I'm constantly back checking my work, afraid that I'm making mistakes or forgetting something important.
ReplyDeleteLorraine,
DeleteYou can do math. You have not had me teach you! I taught a woman who had been in LD classes in school who could barely do math. I taught a woman with 80 IQ to do algebra. I make math unforgettable. And, I am an English teacher.
I did not use a calculator until I was 42 and forced by a professor to use one in math. I always worked problems with a calculator then with pencil and paper to make sure the calculator was correct. People shook their heads or laughed at me.
I taught a class at a university--Math Anxiety.
DeleteI don't know where I would be without calculators. And my friends talk about the new "Common Core" which is a totally new kind of math -- when I couldn't master the original version. I will say that two of the best teachers I've had have been math -- they know when you don't get it and find a way to explain so it makes sense.
DeleteIf a person is living within their means, has a roof over their heads and interests to keep them busy, I think they are much "richer" than people who have "things." I'm much richer, at least in my own mind, because everything I have is paid for...I don't have to be "beholding" to anyone...what a freeing wealth!
ReplyDeleteI agree! I wonder how many people realize how constantly we are being marketed too but just don't recognize it.
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