Are you always the smartest person in the room?

Are you always the most talented person in the room?

With enough self-confidence and a little arrogance, you may believe you are in all situations. If you are, you need to get out more.

When I was in college, I knew I was rarely, if ever, the smartest person in the room. I had friends who skipped their classes all the time. They believed choosing to either go to class or stay in bed was one of the greatest freedoms that college had to offer.

“That class doesn’t take roll” was one of the most sought-after phrases some students looked for in a college course. Not me. I knew I had to show up. I had to be in class. That was one of the main lessons I learned in college: Show up!

With lackluster study habits, that mentality helped me earn good grades and a master’s degree, and it kept me employed throughout my school years. I recall several friends asking me how I earned what seemed to be an unachievable grade in some of our classes, and my answer was always the same. “I may not be the smartest one in the class, but I was always in class.” There were times I was one of the very few people who walked away with an A, but those were also classes where I was one of the few people with perfect attendance.

Whether you are a parent, employee, employer, coach, teacher, volunteer, or just sitting with a friend in need, your presence will trump your ability in nearly every situation.