What Smart People Do When They’re Not Accepted

It would be wonderful to be surrounded by people tolerant and humble enough to recognize the intellectual superiority of its owner. The reality, however, is usually quite different. If there is a common characteristic that defines mediocre people, it is their ability to misrepresent and humiliate those by whom they feel surpassed, as if, in this way, they are avoiding a kind of threat, as if humiliating intelligent people makes them more prepared.

On the other hand, let’s face it: being smart in a mediocre environment is a problem. But if you really are as smart as you think you are, you won’t try to demonstrate that you’re above anyone else. What’s more, your attitude toward this circumstance says a lot about you.

In addition to being politically correct, surviving mediocrity means accepting yourself  and understanding that you don’t have to provoke anyone to do so. Nor is it a case of making a fool of yourself to be accepted by the average person, even though this can sometimes be an effective way to go unnoticed and not suffer from the wrath of those who feel threatened by you. In fact, if you really are an intelligent person, you can also take advantage of circumstances, without offending or feeling offended.

Smart people accept that they won’t please everyone

Nobody pleases everyone. Being smart doesn’t make you nice or essential or a good person. Smart people don’t fall into the trap of thinking that being better prepared makes them better or someone others want to meet.

Your ideas, your aspirations or dreams, your knowledge or your values ​​can offend many people. This makes you a more competitive person and can make others’ inferiority evident, but you don’t necessarily need to change for that.

Smart people recognize and accept that they are not going to please everyone and, consequently, they do not allow themselves to be offended or try to defend themselves in front of those who do not understand them. Also, they don’t think that those they don’t like are bad people, but that they are different, and they accept them.

Smart people ignore or dismiss those they don’t like

Accepting that there are people we don’t like doesn’t mean integrating them into your world. Smart people know how to differentiate the people who accept them and decide with whom to relate or not. Being smart doesn’t mean putting up with everyone who bothers you.

However, as the saying goes, “courtesy is not a sign of weakness”. That’s why smart people treat everyone with courtesy, no matter how you feel about them and how unpleasant and offensive they may be. This makes it easier to avoid future confrontations.

Sometimes  this courteous treatment can mean swallowing a few frogs, and even making a fool of yourself. Deep down, this way of acting is very smart on occasion, and can prevent unpleasant situations that lead nowhere. It can also be an authentic intellectual and emotional control challenge.

Smart people focus on themselves

To hide their incompetence or try to appear smarter than they are, some people focus their energies on hurting and humiliating those who stand out or have shown themselves to be smarter. This is very frustrating. But it ‘s part of smart people to learn to manage the frustration that this kind of attitude generates.

To do this, instead of thinking about how annoying these people are and defending themselves against public offense, smart people focus on themselves, on who they are, on their own values.  It is not a question of defending yourself in front of others, but of yourself.

In addition, intelligent people try to find out what are the factors that trigger the attitude of non-acceptance by others so as not to provoke them. In this way, it is possible to predict the situation and soften it, and even change the reaction. Smart people know that it’s easier to change their perception, attitude, and behavior than asking someone to be a different person.

Smart people stop and take a deep breath in the face of inconvenience

Rather than reacting violently to an uncomfortable circumstance when they are not accepted, the intelligent are able to stop and breathe deeply so as not to get carried away by anger or negativity. In this way, they prevent the attitude of others from hurting them.

Pausing and breathing deeply allows you to control the surge in adrenaline caused by certain situations, which allows you to be in a better position to carry on a conversation or let it pass. Breathing deeply helps you avoid overreacting and stay open-minded, positive and light.