Top 5 Reasons Why the Ultra-Smart People Are Not Also the Mega-Rich

Which would you rather be?

My grandma used to say: a poor man is also a stupid man.

To her own understanding as a simple peasant woman working the fields in the scorching sun, if you aren’t smart enough to make money, you must be pretty dumb.

Hardworking to the point of losing her family over it, she made a small fortune until the communists confiscated everything. And then she did it again.

She thought if she could do it under those conditions, everybody can.

And the truth is, everybody can. But not everybody will.

And it’s not because they’re stupid.

Actually, some of the smartest people in the world are far from being rich.

And here are the top reasons why:

1. They overthink everything.

They think, but don’t act.

Analysis paralysis kills more dreams than fear and failure put together.

Analysis paralysis, known as the inability to make a decision due to overthinking, is more and more prevalent in today’s society due to a never before matched access to information.

For the very smart, the internet can be a source of constant info, but also an endless rabbit hole where they lose most of their days, analyzing, researching, and looking for proof of their theories.

That’s where they get stuck, piling more and more knowledge onto their already overfilled plate and never choosing a side.

Understandably, the more you know, the more you realize you know nothing and you see the arguments on both sides are just as valid.

But that’s very counterproductive for money-making, which requires decision-making, more often than not in a very fast manner.

You snooze, you lose.

2. They’re not willing to do what it takes.

Many of the uber-smart understand the world to its most minute psychological detail and they know exactly what it takes to succeed in their field.

But they choose not to.

Usually, they can see a few steps ahead, some can see all the steps. They are not surprised by a turn of events and don’t have to make instant decisions when they get there.

They know what it takes and they’re not willing to make the sacrifice, especially when that means selling their soul to get there.

Many times our decisions are taken on the spot, we adapt to the situation at hand whether we want to or not because when we’re already there we don’t have much choice.

Smart people know it beforehand and choose to not even step on the path towards it.

But with that choice, they also choose to stay poor rather than do things they don’t agree with.

3. They’re not interested in wealth.

For a lot of smart people, money is just not one of their interests.

Sure, they make enough to live a decent life, but for a lot of them decent means covering their bare necessities, living very frugally, in small apartments, eating beans and rice all day.

There’s nothing wrong with it as long as it’s enough for you, but most people would rather not shiver in bed at night and not wear their clothes until they disintegrate off them like dandelion spores.

Some of the ultra-smart don’t care for any worldly possessions because they live in a world of their own, where they already have everything their heart desires and money wouldn’t bring much extra.

Becoming wealthy requires a lot of effort and when you’re not interested in the result, why would you bother putting in the work?

4. They make bad choices.

Sadly, ultra-smart often comes with ultra damage. The world is not the same for regular people and geniuses.

Genius almost always goes hand in hand with mental illness or an inability and unwillingness to adapt to society’s rules.

Smart people often find themselves in disastrous situations that they can’t avoid, like addictions, or they marry the wrong people and lose everything.

Yes, even the mega-smart are not that smart when it comes to love. Quite the contrary.

They also often slip down a path of nihilism and misanthropy, which leads to more alienation and consequently, more bad choices.

The world is a lonely place for the smartest ones. They are often misunderstood and have a difficult time connecting with regular people.

Loneliness and isolation are devastating for anyone and will soon lead to a path of bad choices to take off the edge of living in an isolated world that does not and cannot understand you.

5. Nobody is smart about everything.

One can be hyper-smart in one field but not be socially smart, street smart, or emotionally smart. They might have a Ph.D. in Physics but be dumb as a bat in finances.

Just because they’re hella intelligent doesn’t mean they know how to make money.

Wealth is much more complex and intelligence is only one of its components. Not even the most important one.

Interested in love and money? Join my email list.

Interested in everything? Join Medium.