Smart is, as smart does

This is not intended to be a brag, as will be demonstrated. My entire life I’ve been told I’m smart. In elementary school, I received so many academic awards they told me to just stay on the stage. My mom had to help me carry them all. I say all that to say, nigga— I’m broke!!

For all my intelligence, I haven’t achieved financial independence yet and it’s frustrating. I’ve always heard smart is as smart does… well smart needs to start paying me! I HAVE TO monetize it and I feel like a lot of “smart” people know this feeling. For all my intelligence, it only counts to anger me. I feel like Tyrion Lannister, (except I’m like two inches taller than him) ‘cursed with knowledge.’ The knowledge that we don’t live in a meritocracy, and so truly, one’s intelligence counts for shit here. The cold hard truth is that in a capitalistic society, we need poor people for the machine to run. But I digress.

Then there’s the fact that I feel like my undiagnosed adult ADHD is KICKING MY ASS. Some days, completing tasks are automatic and other days, it’s all I can do to finish washing the dishes without getting distracted. So I guess, what I’m trying to say is intelligence means nothing if not monetized and focused. Therein lies the rub— knowing what to do and yet feeling helpless to do it.

So here I am, typing away. Hoping that eventually I’ll have enough eyes on this blog to set me free. So to whomever is reading this, thank you. Thank you for taking your time, thank you for supporting. To those who are up when the world sleeps, working on their craft, feeling that intelligence just isn’t enough, keep working. If nothing else, you’ll be able to look back and clothe yourself in a respectable body of work. Smart is as smart does: so whatever you do, don’t give up.