There’s a temptation to believe that the most intelligent are the ones that accomplish the most in life. We look at the smartest people in their fields—the Einsteins, the Milton Friedmans, or the Stephen Hawkings—and we think that they got to the pinnacle of their fields with intelligence alone. But I would maintain that they attained their success along with one other attribute—diligence.
I think it’s easy to look at many of the students in our best Ivy League schools and believe that they are automatically the ones with the highest IQ’s. I would wager, though, that many of them were not necessarily the most intelligent, but what they lacked in intelligence they made up for with hard work. They were driven. They had goals in mind that they wanted to achieve. And it was the goal and vision they had that pushed them to overcome the obstacles to their dream coming true.
For every Einstein, Friedman, or Hawking, I wonder how many people with comparable IQ’s were just sitting at home in their basements watching their potential pass them by. I wonder how many highly intelligent people are living mediocre lives simply because they lack the drive or vision to do something great. For some people vision and goals seem to come naturally. For others, it seems that an adrenaline shot still wouldn’t be enough to motivate them to take out the garbage. If you asked them what they would like to do with their lives they would respond with a hollow, “I don’t know.” They couldn’t even manage the energy to sit and think about the possibilities of something greater.
But I would suggest if they would take the time to look within themselves and really search for a dream inside their hearts that they would be able find it. The problem isn’t the dream not being there. The problem, with them, is that the dream has become clouded and obscured by the many obstacles to the end game in mind. Some of the obstacles are real, others are only perceived. And maybe some of these people started out with a drive and passion, but they became discouraged over time in the face of adversity. They pressed on for a while, but for whatever reason they didn’t continue on and follow through. With some, it was because they didn’t have someone there to encourage them in the dark times. Others just got knocked down too hard and they never want to go through that again.
But what can a person do when they just refuse to give up? How much can they accomplish if they have a ‘never say die’ attitude? I would suggest these are the ones in history, and in the present day, who have made the greatest impact for good in the world. They may not have been the smartest, or the most qualified. But they all had one thing in common—diligence.
AV Proverbs 29:18: “Where [there is] no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy [is] he.” I think this is a fundamental truth in life. This isn’t saying that you are going to literally die if you don’t have a dream for your life. But if you have no vision or idea where you want to go in life, then your life is going to suffer a sort of death in the sense of not being fruitful. If we don’t have a purpose in life it ends up deflating a person to the point that they no longer have any motivation for anything.
AV Proverbs 21:5: “The thoughts of the diligent [tend] only to plenteousness; but of every one [that is] hasty only to want.” God reminds us of the importance of diligence. This verse plainly speaks of how being diligent generally leads to a place of abundance. And that’s not just necessarily financial. That can mean financially, relationships, spiritually, or emotionally. When we are diligent in pursuing our goals we can achieve something great. But if we never start due to discouragement, or laziness, it leads to a life lacking in our hearts greatest desires.
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AV 1 Corinthians 1:27-28: “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty, And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, [yea], and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:” In order that God may show us the proper place of our human wisdom, many times He seeks to establish and display His glory by having seemingly inconsequential things put in subjection the things that we think are significant.
AV Joel 2:28: “And it shall come to pass afterward, [that] I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:” The dreams and visions that really count and have eternal significance are the ones that come from God. The things that God often reveals to us come through His Holy Spirit. I believe He shows us things that are coming so that we look to Him and so that we have hope. Joel 2:28 is speaking of the last days. And I believe that we are in those days now. If there’s ever a time to act on the dream that God has given you, this is it. What dream has God placed in your heart? If you don’t know, then ask Him. Seek Him for it. Then look to Him and trust Him to help you bring it to pass. He will surely help you if you seek Him with an honest and sincere heart.
AV Proverbs 29:18: “Where [there is] no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy [is] he.”
AV Proverbs 21:5: “The thoughts of the diligent [tend] only to plenteousness; but of every one [that is] hasty only to want.”
AV 1 Corinthians 1:27-28: “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty, And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, [yea], and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:”
AV Joel 2:28: “And it shall come to pass afterward, [that] I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:”