Growing up, I’ve never really been book smart. Everything about the books we had in school disgusted me.
The books were dirty, boring, and usually meant homework so I ended up hating books for a greater part of my childhood. However, once people stopped shoving books down my throat and I got to pick my own choices, I began loving them.
However, street smarts and book smarts completely mean different things. Here’s what they mean:
The Definition
Here’s how the dictionary defines the two –
Street Smarts: A shrewd ability to survive in a dangerous urban environment.
Book Smarts: Someone who is intelligent, learns well, and educated very well academically.
Most people who are street smart aren’t very book smart and vice versa. Growing up, I was very street smart but not so book smart.
In any situation, I was capable enough to handle myself or to figure out things on the go. Many of my friends weren’t this way, but they were very book smart.
I learned from an early age that street smarts and book smarts had great value, but the most successful people had a strong balance of both.
What It Means Relative To Entrepreneurship
“How much can you possibly know about yourself if you’ve never been in a fight?” – Fight Club
Read that quote. Stop, take a deep breath and read it one more time. As humans overall, we appreciate and require the formal education we receive through school.
However, entrepreneurship is something that requires more than an academic lesson. As a college student, I was in the academic setting. Outside of my college classes, I was in the street setting performing those actions.
Can you really succeed in entrepreneurship by just reading and learning through books? Can you really succeed in entrepreneurship by performing and not gaining anything academically?
The answer to both questions is simply, NO. It’s extremely tough to succeed without finding a balance between book smarts and street smarts.
Finding The Balance
Finding the balance for me was extremely difficult. I grew up disliking academics very much but didn’t mind the street smarts I had gained.
When I became an entrepreneur and tried to use my hustle to get me through things which resulted in me falling flat on my face often. Hustle can get you through the door, but education keeps you there.
It became evident that I had to know my shit in order to succeed in the entrepreneurial environment. I could hustle up to a certain point, but to close deals I had to know what the hell I was talking about.
That’s when serious academic education kicked in. I was doing everything right, but closing deals since I had a lack of knowledge on the topic I was discussing.
That’s when I picked up books, articles, blogs, and just about anything with a wealth of knowledge on it. I began learning quickly, but something had changed.
I was suddenly becoming book smart, just not inside the classroom. I was educating myself on cold calling techniques, marketing strategies, SEO, web design, web development, and so much more.
These were all things I had never learned in a classroom setting, but I learned outside of school. I became book smart on the things that I was passionate about and cared about.
Here I was, a 17 year old kid who could barely pass his English class but I was able to master the art of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) spending a few hours a day afterschool.
Suddenly, it made all the sense in the world to me. School was teaching me all the things I didn’t want to learn.
How could I be book smart when I could care less how many molecules are in an object? How could I be book smart when I’m forced to read a book because it’s on the state-wide curriculum?
I had to read and study a bunch of shit that I never got to choose. I couldn’t be book smart growing up.
As an entrepreneur now, I know exactly the types of things I want to study and read. Not only do I enjoy it, but I dive at the opportunity to learn more.
Putting It All Together
Whether you choose to be an astronaut, magician or successful entrepreneur, you’re going to need a balance of street smarts and book smarts to come out on top.
I was never book smart, but I had to gain that skill to have a shot at being successful at my craft. As an entrepreneur, it’s important to never stop learning and hustling.
What are your thoughts on street smarts vs book smarts? Share your thoughts by commenting below.
