Why Stupid People Succeed

Posted on April 1, 2010 by Avish

funnyfaceHave you ever looked at a stupid person who was very successful and thought to yourself, “how in the heck is someone that dumb so successful?” I have. And I think I have an answer.

(To be clear, when I say “stupid” and “dumb” I am not talking about IQ, or education or grades, or SAT scores. I am talking about a simple lack of common sense and rational thinking. By that definition, even people with great grades and high IQs can be stupid.)

There are I think a couple of qualities that many stupid people have that allows them to succeed (and often to succeed more than “smart” people). Today I will be focusing on one: confidence

Over my years as an improv comedian, I have gone to many improv shows. Once, I went to see a show that was taking place in a theater after another scripted play finished. As I stood outside and waited for the patrons of the play to clear out, I got to listen to a woman from the improv group try to convince the theater attendees to stick around for their show.

“Do you like comedy? Then you have to stay for our show.”
“Do you really love to laugh? This is the show for you?”
“Have you ever laughed so hard your belly hurt? That’s what will happen if you stick around and see our show.”

Those are some big promises, and make the show sound awesome. I don’t know if her sales pitch worked on anyone, but she keep pitching. My expectations were high.

You can probably see where this is going…

Yup. This was quite possibly the least funny, worst performed comedy show I have ever seen. I am not exaggerating to make my point. This was just bad. Just. Bad.

After the show (somehow I stuck around for the whole thing) I remember being astonished at the the woman’s sale pitch.

“How could she say those things?? Like comedy? Love to laugh? Your belly will hurt?? What the heck was she smoking??”

My analytical mind could not wrap itself around how a person could speak so highly about a show that sucked so hard.

Sure, it’s improv, so you never know exactly how the show will turn out, but they had to have some sense of the quality level, right? Right???

Now that some years have passed and I can look back on it more objectively, I realize that I am quite jealous of that woman. That’s right: jealous.

Why am I jealous? Because, frankly, I wish I could have that kind of “confidence unbounded by logic.” I can be waaaay too logical in my thinking when it comes to confidence and self-promotion. I know my blog and presentations are great, but I also know that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. So rather than standing on the rooftops telling everyone how much they’ll love my stuff, I sometimes fall into a much weaker message of, “check it out, you might like it.” I am sure a lot of you fall into the same trap.

In this way, the stupid person may have the advantage. With an inability (or unwillingness) to be open-minded, see the angles, and realize that others may not think the way they do, the stupid person allows their confidence to bloom unfettered by the chains of reason. All of us smart people could learn a thing or two from the stupid.

Sadly, our world is not a meritocracy. The best do not always succeed the most. This is a tough pill to swallow, because it seems so unfair. Especially to us smart folk who were taught growing up that all we had to do was do well in school and we would be fine.

We see this all the time:

  • The guy who is a jerk but dates lots of women because he has the confidence to ask.
  • The salesperson who comes across as slick and annoying but still sells because he has the confidence to keep asking for the sale.
  • The executive who has really stupid ideas but says them with such confidence that people buy in.
  • And on and on

This is not to say that ability doesn’t matter. In fact it does very much. But nine times out of ten, confidence without ability beats ability without confidence.

Obviously, the best bet is to have ability and confidence. But if you think you are pretty good at what you do but feel you do not have the success you deserve (and see other, “less deserving” folk attaining), then step back, believe in yourself, run to the nearest rooftop and scream to the world how awesome you are! A little confidence can go a long way.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go write a blog post so good it will make your belly hurt…

conference speakerFollowing the example of this blog post:Would you like to have the most awesome, funniest, most impactful motivational humorist ever to help make your next event a resounding success? Then visit Avish’s Motivational Humorist page and book him now!
 

About Avish

By Avish Parashar. As the world's only Motivational Improviser, Avish uses techniques from the world of improv comedy to engage, entertain, and educate audiences on ideas around change, creativity, and motivation. Connect with Avish on Google+
This entry was posted in Business Advice, Improv Comedy, Motivation & Success. Bookmark the permalink.

822 Responses to Why Stupid People Succeed

← Older Comments
Newer Comments →
  4. pinup_wzot says:
    April 24, 2026 at 7:37 am

    pin-up android uchun yuklab olish http://pinup28750.help/

  7. mostbet_gnOr says:
    April 24, 2026 at 9:23 am

    мостбет не загружается сайт мостбет не загружается сайт

  10. mostbet_qqOr says:
    April 24, 2026 at 9:49 am

    мостбет фриспины за регистрацию http://mostbet14362.help/

  14. Adrianassor says:
    April 24, 2026 at 11:07 am

    Основной задачей капельницы от похмелья является очищение организма от токсинов, которые остаются после метаболизма алкоголя, обеспечивая быстрый вывод вредных веществ. Алкоголь в значительной степени нарушает водно-электролитный баланс, а его продукты распада могут вызывать неприятные симптомы, такие как головная боль, тошнота, слабость, головокружение и сухость во рту. Капельница помогает устранить эти симптомы, улучшить самочувствие и ускорить процесс восстановления организма, при этом при необходимости возможен вызов врача, анонимное лечение, а также дальнейшая реабилитация и помощь при наркомании.
    Получить дополнительную информацию – капельница от похмелья на дом в самаре

  22. Neiroset dlya referatov_xsSr says:
    April 24, 2026 at 2:00 pm

    нейросеть генерации текстов для студентов нейросеть генерации текстов для студентов .

  24. elektrokarnizi_pjor says:
    April 24, 2026 at 2:37 pm

    электрические карнизы для штор в москве электрические карнизы для штор в москве .

  25. Neiroset dlya referatov_djoa says:
    April 24, 2026 at 2:56 pm

    нейросеть текст для учебы nejroset-dlya-referatov-26.ru .

  28. avtomaticheskie karnizi_gxpr says:
    April 24, 2026 at 4:56 pm

    электрические гардины для штор avtomaticheskie-karnizy.ru .

  31. DonaldTor says:
    April 24, 2026 at 10:16 pm

    Попытки самостоятельно прекратить употребление после нескольких дней непрерывной интоксикации часто сопровождаются резким выбросом стрессовых гормонов, скачками артериального давления, тахикардией и нарушением электролитного баланса. Без инфузионной поддержки и фармакологической коррекции возрастает риск развития такого грозного осложнения, как белая горячка, судорожных состояний, острой печеночной или сердечной недостаточности. Самостоятельные попытки резко перестать пить без медицинского контроля опасен для жизни и может спровоцировать необратимые изменения в работе внутренних органов. Домашние условия не позволяют проводить лабораторный контроль, корректировать дозировки в реальном времени и оперативно реагировать на ухудшение состояния. Стационар решает эти задачи за счет круглосуточного дежурства врачей, наличия реанимационного оборудования и возможности привлечения смежных специалистов при выявлении соматических осложнений.
    Разобраться лучше – наркология вывод из запоя в стационаре нижний новгород

  35. melbet_zuet says:
    April 25, 2026 at 6:03 am

    мелбет написать в поддержку http://melbet09374.help/

  39. 1xbet_ecEa says:
    April 25, 2026 at 6:03 pm

    1xbet yeni giri? adresi 1xbet-67.com .

  40. MichaelThery says:
    April 25, 2026 at 11:09 pm

    Организация терапевтического процесса в условиях стационара требует слаженной работы профильной команды, четких клинических алгоритмов и непрерывного документирования каждого этапа лечения. В клинике выстроена прозрачная система взаимодействия, где пациент и его близкие получают исчерпывающую информацию о планах терапии, ожидаемых результатах, условиях пребывания и правах потребителя медицинских услуг. Мы отказались от шаблонных протоколов в пользу персонализированной медицины, где каждый шаг лечения согласовывается с динамикой состояния пациента и корректируется на основе объективных диагностических данных. Такой подход исключает избыточную фармакологическую нагрузку и минимизирует риски побочных эффектов, сохраняя при этом высокую клиническую эффективность детоксикации.
    Разобраться лучше – вывод из запоя в стационаре анонимно нижний новгород

  42. melbet_izSa says:
    April 26, 2026 at 2:59 am

    мелбет мбанк киргизия https://www.melbet90378.help

← Older Comments
Newer Comments →

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *