Boyd,

Thanks for your response.

In your opinion, can "cleverness" be acquired? When I first read your response, I saw it as either a "you've got it or you don't" type thing. Is this what you mean?

I ask this because a common "formula" for success is to find a successful mentor or model and do what they do. While certainly prudent, this formula doesn't seem particularly clever to me.

I, for example, can give you my formula (it worked for me) to make over 70K per year. Its like this:

1. Move into a cheap apartment with your wife and pets so you can afford to work as a grad student.
2. Study hard and get a masters degree in Computer Science.
3. Go to work as a coder for your local software company.

This model worked for a while (until the dot bomb) and thousands of people did the same thing.

Now this requires a certain aptitude for computer science (or medicine, or whatever your field of choice is...) but I never saw myself as being particularly clever for doing it, just willing to work hard and sacrifice a bit.

I tend to think that people fall into patterns that are not conducive to success and that it takes a kick (maybe from Gordon or someone else on this forum) to adjust your thinking and get you pointed back at the target.

That's why I posted and Gordon gave me a different perspective that I hadn't considered.

Your thoughts?

Regards,

Jack

> Hi,

> If you're a clever person, it's possible.
> Clever means deep knowledge, a knowledge of
> how things really work, and the ability to
> reason with that knowledge.

> If you're not a clever person, it's not
> possible unless you luck into it.

> Hope this helps,

> - Boyd