Don’t measure yourself by someone else’s ruler, because each of us has multiple types of intelligence. Many people get upset because they are not ‘successful’ like some people seem to be – in terms of their job titles or earnings – and they deem themselves less capable. But we need to understand what we are good at, and maximise our strengths while improving our weaknesses.
Harvard professor and psychologist Howard Gardner proposed that humans have different ways of interacting with the world:
⭕ Linguistic – The ability to use words effectively for reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
⭕ Logical-mathematical – The capacity to think logically, solve problems, and work with numbers and abstract concepts.
⭕ Spatial – The ability to visualize and manipulate objects in space and form accurate mental images.
⭕ Bodily-kinesthetic – The skill of using the body to express ideas or solve problems through movement and coordination.
⭕ Musical – The sensitivity to sound, rhythm, tone, and music, with the ability to create or appreciate musical patterns.
⭕ Interpersonal – The capacity to understand, connect with, and respond effectively to other people’s emotions and intentions.
⭕ Intrapersonal – The deep awareness of one’s own thoughts, feelings, motivations, and values.
⭕ Naturalistic – The ability to recognize patterns in nature and classify elements of the natural world.
⭕ Existential – The sensitivity to deep questions about human existence and our place in the universe.
The core idea is that people learn and express their intelligence in different ways, and that no single type is superior. Thus, while finance and real estate jobs are all the rage, are they the right fit for your unique mix of intelligences?
On the other hand, our intelligences are not fixed. I have learned for myself that you can actually train each of the intelligences with deliberate and long-term practice.
For example, when I was young, I had poor hand-eye coordination and was terrible at ball games. Later, as an adult, I picked up the violin and within a few years, I could easily catch any object being thrown at me. That’s Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence.
And as we read more, we improve our ability to understand the world and in turn reflect on our own thoughts (Intrapersonal intelligence). As we interact with people more, we improve on our Interpersonal intelligence.
That is also why you cannot spend your time glued to your phone, watching mindless content. You cannot train your multiple intelligences if you do not work on them.
One last thing – using Gen AI well requires a mix of the intelligences above. This image of a thinking man sculpture took over an hour of back-and-forth with ChatGPT. I had to apply logical reasoning, explore visual styles, consider real-world materials, and find the right words to describe them. I encourage you to try creating your own unique images – it’s a great way to exercise your multiple intelligences.