Thinking back to your younger self, were you as smart as you thought you were?

Yes. When I started caring life got hard. When I stopped caring and stopped teasing people life got better.

I received more work experience volunteering than I would have had waiting for a paid position.

I have the same thought process as you. I think I will never stop feeling dumb. And that’s a good thing. It means that I continue to learn more and more.

I was smarter than I thought I was.

I thought that I was pretty smart in high school. Then I realized my mental limitations during my first college chemistry class. I was astounded by how smart three of my classmates were. They could see right through the most complex chemistry problems. On one test a student wrote the correct answer to a very complex chemistry problem (involved log rhythmic calculations). He was the only student that got the correct answer. He showed no work on paper so the instructor asked the student how he got the answer. He said that he estimated it in his head. He didn’t get credit for his answer. I felt like a total retard.

Not even close. I thought I knew so much at 20.

Now, at 50, I’m pretty sure I don’t know anything.

No. All I could ever think about was girls!

Probably, but I was not as educated and wise. I knew that I would stay in school a long time, and I did. We learn while we live and formal education helps too. I’ve always been curious, crafty, determined, and resourceful. These traits have served me well, along with intelligence.

No. I never thought I “knew it all”. And when I look at some of my good writings from when I was 16–18, I’m quite impressed. And most (if not all) of the things I thought I understood with an unusual degree of perception, I still agree with my younger self about, more or less.

I’ve gained some knowledge and wisdom and a lot of experience and self-understanding that I didn’t have then, and I’m calmer about things, and more likely to answer “I don’t know” than to offer my best guess based on reasoning (something school trained us to do), but I’m not “smarter” per se.

I was smarter. I didn’t realize it until I grew up and looked back.

Didn’t most everyone?

I don’t have a lot of experience in this since I’m only in my teens but I think I’m smarter than my dumb brother that is older than me. He always teases me but I do love him so.

Yes. Only because I understood I still had a lot to learn. So in that regard, I think I was ahead. Even in my 60 plus years I still find life had plenty to teach me still. I’m a constant work in progress.

By smarter, are you talking about faster results or better results? When I was younger I could process information much faster, but often I didn’t have good information. Nowadays, I process information noticeably slower, but I have better info to work with. Results are better.

When I was 19 I thought I had the answers to everything, now I have forgotten most of the questions.

Far smarter and wiser than I thought I was.

I had no self esteem so no.

BTW when I think “younger” I’m thinking elementary school, not my teenaged years. I’m answering from that perspective

I was riding the train once as a kid & I looked back out the window as we were rounding a sharp curve.
I couldn’t believe another train was following so close…yeah, smart as a pumpkin.

I knew my IQ and aptitude scores were higher than average. But what I lacked (and still lack to this day in some respects) was common cents.

@Strauss Penny for your thoughts?

@Strauss: How are you with change?

@Strauss If only I had a nickel for every time I felt the same.

Lets see a penny and a nickel @Strauss must have 6 cents for change!

Change is the only constant in this world!

…And I’m not talking about pocket change!

@Strauss I know, I was being clever which for me means stupid.

@RayaHope I guess my attempts at cleverness were too deadpool deadpan!

@Strauss Now I’m even more stupid…stupider…stupidest? lol