Fly Paper

If people were like fly paper some of us would be covered in bugs while others would have maybe one or two stuck to them. Some people travel through this life picking up more than others. While both are like fly paper, some are just stickier.

There are those who walk through life picking up knowledge and information everywhere they go. No matter where they are or what they are doing, they are always learning and experiencing.

And then there are those who pick up a thing or two here and there but not much of it sticks. Basically, these are the people you do not want on your team when playing Trivial Pursuit.

In life, being smart does not mean you have to spend years and years in college nor does it mean you have nine Ph.D's behind your name. While these things don't hurt, they aren't necessary to be successful. In my opinion intelligence comes from simply opening your eyes and ears and shutting your mouth.

If you are eager to learn new stuff then learn how to pay attention to your surroundings and listen. Don't just wait for others to stop talking so you can finally have your turn to say something. Actually listen to what others are saying. You can't learn when your lips are flapping. You learn when your mouth is shut and your ears are open.

When you actually listen and pay attention to what's going on around you, your mind goes into Sponge-Mode. The information you can acquire is priceless.

As for college, am I saying don't go? No. This is not a lecture on whether or not someone should go to college. This is simply my opinion on how to use all the information around you to your benefit. It's free and it's available every single moment of every single day. And if you don't think you can learn something new each and every day, then it comes down to me to tell you that you’re wrong. Unless you’re in a coma, your mind should be able to soak up something new on a daily basis. Whether it’s useless trivia such as, on average, a child uses 730 crayons by their 10th birthday or a more relevant topic like, It takes 1.3 seconds for light to travel from the moon to the earth and 8.3 minutes for light from the sun to reach the earth, you should be able to learn something. (Bonus: by reading this, you just learned something new today)               
So zip the lip, open the ears and eyes and tell yourself, "I will learn something new everyday."
It won't make you an instant millionaire but that's not the point. The point is this; being smart might cost you time, effort and even money. You will need to discipline yourself to shut the mouth and pay attention to what's going on around you. But all in all, no matter what the price may be for obtaining knowledge, it's still a whole lot more costly to be stupid.

So be sticky. Be like fly paper.