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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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Get Smart! summary
How to Think and Act Like the Most Successful and Highest-Paid People in Every Field
28 mins
Brief summary
Get Smart! by Brian Tracy is a guide for those seeking to improve their intelligence, memory, and mental performance. It provides practical tips and exercises to enhance cognitive abilities and achieve success in all areas of life.
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Get Smart!
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Key idea 1 of 8
What does it mean to get smart?
Let me ask you something. If I gave you a test right now to measure your intelligence, what would you expect it to look like? Multiple choice questions? Logic puzzles? Math problems? Maybe you're picturing something with a score at the end, a number that supposedly tells you how smart you are.
Forget all of that.
Brian Tracy's definition of intelligence has nothing to do with tests. Rather, that intelligence is a "way of acting." That's it. If you act intelligently, you are intelligent. If you act unintelligently, you are unintelligent. Your SAT score doesn't matter, nor does your degree. What matters is whether your actions move you toward what you want or away from it.
Take a second to think about that. An intelligent action is any action that brings you closer to your goals. An unintelligent action is anything else – anything that keeps you stuck or, worse, pushes you backward. Nice and simple, right? But here's where it gets interesting: you can't know whether an action is intelligent or not until you've figured out what you actually want.
Most people skip this step. They're busy, they're active, they're doing things – but they've never stopped to ask themselves where they're trying to go. So their actions can't be intelligent because there's no target to move toward.
So before we talk about getting smart, we need to talk about something more basic: What do you want?
Not what your parents want. Not what looks good on Instagram. What do you want? Where do you want to be in a year? Five years? Ten? When you hit retirement age, what does your life look like?
Now, you can approach these questions from two angles: short-term thinking or long-term thinking. Short-term thinking is about right now – maximizing pleasure today, spending instead of saving, choosing what feels good in the moment. Long-term thinking is the opposite. It's looking ahead, considering consequences, and then considering the consequences of those consequences.
Which perspective is better? Well, in 1970, a Harvard professor named Edward Banfield studied people from different economic backgrounds and found something striking. The people who earned more money, who were happier and more successful, were the ones who thought ahead – sometimes years or even decades ahead. These people were smart, not because they had high IQs, but because they were exceptionally good at carrying out actions that brought them closer to their long-term goals.
So if you want to get smart, you need to act intelligently. To act intelligently, you need to think long-term. And to think long-term, you need to answer those questions I asked earlier. What do you want in one year? Five years? Ten? At retirement?
Once you've got those answers, you can start making a plan. And that plan – that's where the real work begins.
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What is Get Smart! about?
Get Smart! (2016) offers a variety of tips on how to tap into your unused brainpower and live a happier, more successful life. With a change in your perspective, and an outlook based on long-term positivity, you can discover how to get great results out of life and turn any challenge into an opportunity.
Get Smart! Review
Get Smart! by Brian Tracy is a practical book that offers valuable insights on personal and professional success. Here's why you should definitely read it:
- Loaded with actionable strategies, it equips readers with practical tools to achieve their goals and unlock their full potential.
- Drawing from real-life examples and personal experiences, the book provides relatable and inspiring stories that make the content engaging and relatable.
- The book's no-nonsense approach delivers powerful advice in a straightforward manner, keeping readers captivated and motivated throughout.
Best quote from Get Smart!
Michael Kami:Those who do not plan for the future cannot have one.
—Brian Tracy
Who should read Get Smart!?
- Autodidacts looking for a learning opportunity
- Unhappy people hoping to improve their lives
- Creative and ambitious people hoping to be more productive
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Get Smart! FAQs
What is the main message of Get Smart!?
The main message of Get Smart! is that success can be achieved through effective time management, goal setting, and continuous learning.
How long does it take to read Get Smart!?
The reading time for Get Smart! varies, but it typically takes a few hours. The Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is Get Smart! a good book? Is it worth reading?
Get Smart! is worth reading because it offers practical strategies for personal and professional success. It provides actionable advice in a concise format.
Who is the author of Get Smart!?
The author of Get Smart! is Brian Tracy.
What to read after Get Smart!?
If you're wondering what to read next after Get Smart!, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- Think Again by Adam Grant
- Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss
- The Psychology of Selling by Brian Tracy
- Goals! by Brian Tracy
- The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss
- Building Your Money Machine with ChatGPT by Larry Wheeler
- 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do by Amy Morin
- Hidden Potential by Adam Grant
- The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino
- The Innovative Leader by Stephen Wunker