I like the spirit of this post, but think I object to considering this ‘too smart for your own good’. That framing feels more like an identity-protecting maneuver than trying to get at reality. The reality is that you think you’re smarter than you are, and it causes you to trip over your untied shoelaces. You acknowledge this of course, but describing it accurately seems beyond your comfort zone. The closest you get is when you put ‘smart’ in scare quotes near the end of the essay.
Just be honest with yourself, it hurts at first but the improvement in perspective is massive.
I like the spirit of this post, but think I object to considering this ‘too smart for your own good’. That framing feels more like an identity-protecting maneuver than trying to get at reality. The reality is that you think you’re smarter than you are, and it causes you to trip over your untied shoelaces. You acknowledge this of course, but describing it accurately seems beyond your comfort zone. The closest you get is when you put ‘smart’ in scare quotes near the end of the essay.
Just be honest with yourself, it hurts at first but the improvement in perspective is massive.
Agreed, except that the behaviour described could also just be procrastination.