You can have all the degrees in the world, but if you don't have a hustler's mentality, ambition, and common sense, you will be lost. A person who is street-smart knows how to deal with back-breaking situations without breaking a sweat and toiling unnecessarily. While 'book-smart' people are the ones who always get A's on math tests, 'street smart' people are those who can perform their tasks in time by using their wit. Book-smart people always sit on the front benches in a class and enjoy solving Sudoku puzzles. They still have the answers to all the questions but is this enough to compensate the experience you gain from stepping out into the world?
You need to be a street-smart person to live your life in a better and carefree manner, especially in a big city. A street smart person would easily be able to befriend people and make good contacts. Due to this reason, they usually have friends from different backgrounds. They are the ultimate doers no matter what work they have on their plate and do not need a degree and qualification to get a knack of things. They just know how to work their way around things. Street-smart people have good communication skills which make them appear as an ideal to look up to. They maintain good social relations with people and have the ability to judge people within few minutes of meeting them. This makes them less prone to danger. Let us see which one is better - a book-smart person or a street smart chap.
It is tough to say which one is better as both excel at what they are good at. You will not want someone who scored an average grade in college to be your doctor. Similarly, you do not always want to take advice from a nerdy friend. But if we have to choose one of them, then street smart people are hands down winners because the knowledge about how plants pollinate never helped anyone in any field of life. When it comes to survival skills, it is not something that you were taught in school. You learn them when you go out in the world to live and survive.
Apart from this, one thing that should be noted is that many successful people have been college or school dropouts. Their degrees did not help them to climb the ladder of success. People like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates became one in a million because of their undying willpower. You might not become the next great inventor, but if you are street-smart, then you can achieve your goals and lead a satisfying life. Book-smart or not, being street smart is something you should adopt to be more aware of your surroundings or to get people to like you immediately. It always plays in your favor.
#1. Do Not Trust Blindly
The mantra to not getting backstabbed is to know people better before trusting them. We all tend to be carefree at times and think that everyone around us is our well-wisher, but that is not always the case. These days people are ready to cross any limits if it brings them any personal gain without being bothered about the other person. So be cautious when you reveal too much about yourself to a new person. Don't be too judgmental but just check the motives of the person you meet. A smart person is always cautious when it comes to trusting other people, especially strangers.
#2. Stop Being So Nice
Being a 'goody-two-shoes' all the time can land you in trouble someday. While being helpful to people around you is good but being too nice is not desirable. Nice people do not get the best of things. You should learn to be a bit selfish at times too. Isn't that better than coming across as a pushover or being taken for granted always? Also, do not think that you have to be nice to everyone just because you find it hard to be rude. A street smart person is selective when it comes to harboring a relationship and being kind to others.
#3. Learn To Say No
It is better to make a good choice rather than regretting it later on. No matter how people perceive you, you should learn to say "no" at times. Do not do things under peer pressure. If you want to become a street-smart person, then you have to learn to make the right judgment. Do not worry about disappointing people or sounding rude to them. Simply learn how to decline without being rude. Stand by your decision and say "no" if you are being forced to do something that you do not feel comfortable doing.
#4. Have Confidence
You have to build your wings so that you can fly high enough through the turbulence of life and confidence is the key to it. Be confident even when you are not sure about something. People do not mess with someone who knows what they are doing (or at least, gives an impression that they know what they are doing!). Maintain a positive body language and a confident posture everywhere, be it in the office or a social gathering. Do not slouch while sitting, put your back straight and hold your head high. Also, try not to be nervous and keep your calm even in a terrifying situation. Looking confident can do wonders for you in life.
#5. Avoid Being An Open Book
You should not reveal your weaknesses to many people around you as they can use them against you in the future. Keep your emotional moments private. Talk about limited things with everybody. You should learn to hide your emotions. Many people will not hesitate to use the things which hurt you as a weapon against you. Do not allow people to read you easily.
#6. Be Careful Of Over-Friendly People
If something seems too good to be true, the chances are that it might be. Be careful of the people who look like angels from above. They might have selfish interests that they want to fulfill by using you. Raise your guard if someone new is trying to be too friendly with you. Just know that nobody will do something for you for free if they have no profit in it. Try to check their intention before you believe in their false friendship.
#7. Work On Your Strengths
You should use the talents that you have to reach a higher position in life. If you want to be street smart, use your strengths to your benefit. Ask yourself how you can stand apart from the crowd. Are you good in sales or strategy? Find the things you excel in, and nobody will be able to stop you from getting success. Hence it is essential to utilize your skills to gain an advantage at everything.
#8. Be Vocal
You do not necessarily have to master the speaking skills, but you need to be vocal when it comes to handling messy situations. Try to give reasons when proving a point. It is more likely to win the argument that way without having to raise your voice. A street-smart person knows how to deal with an angry boss or an irritating colleague. Be fluent with your words and have an even tone to make the other person believe your words.
A child educated at school is an uneducated child. Unless you gain the experience of the outer world, all your knowledge is of no use at all. You will learn more in the streets than any classroom. We hope that our advice on how to be street smart helps you to become a better person. If you have any comments or suggestions, do let us know in the section below.
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I learned it the hard way to be a little cunning about things going around. But this article will definitely help people to realize that they should be street smart before life gives them a bad experience. I was a person who used to be the smartest kid in class but in the real world, I could not utter a word. What use was the knowledge of the books when I could not use it to land a good job. I was the innocent kid who would know nothing about the world outside my books. I considered being the topper in class to be everything that I ever wanted to be. Only when I stepped out of college and had to face the reality, I came to the conclusion that cramming books was not something that is called being smart. I had to be street smart to get things done for me. But how could I have been street smart when I spent my whole life being the nerd that I was expected to be. Nobody ever told me that I needed the experience of the dirty reality as well to survive.
Now I can see the average students in a better position than I am. I can only regret having wasted my time with all the extra classes when I could have joined the football club. Those ways I would have been aware of how rejection and failure feels. I can only repent now. I do not have the confidence of proving the knowledge I have in my head. I know the things I have learned but how can I make my employer see it too. Now that I have stepped in the real world, I can see how people can fool me easily. I consider people to be innocent just like I am. But they are not. The people I called friends have taken advantage of my knowledge and I never got the credits for the help. Leave alone being paid for it. That is what made me wake up and realize that I had to be street smart to deal with such people. I came to know that if these friends could fool without hesitation, then anybody could.
I want to appreciate the tips shared in the article as people like me really need such help to face the cunning people out there. I have stopped being so helpful and nice to strangers now. I have learned to say that I am busy and cannot help them. When I say no to one person, it sends a message to others as well that I will not help them so easily. They have stopped coming to me now to make me do their work while they go out and have fun. I have established myself as a strong-willed person who will not take the wrong things from people around me. Anyone who is like me should take a lesson from me and realize that you will have to become street smart no matter how good you are with your subjects and books.