Intellect is overrated.

Spoiler alert: your intelligence is only as valuable as your willingness to put it to use.

I am a recovering overthinker. I can't even count the number of times my brain has convinced me I needed to have everything figured out before I could leap into action. I used to tell myself that figuring things out, planning, calculating, and other thinly veiled forms of procrastination were signs of intelligence.

Maybe treating life like a puzzle — constantly trying to ‘figure it out’ — does exercise intelligence, but it’s still a misapplication of intellect. I once spent weeks setting up the perfect music creation station — organizing cables, obsessing over gear, watching hours of “productivity hacks” — and then hardly touched any of it.

The mind is a tool. We have to wield it from the seat of awareness. Its power should not dictate the direction of our actions. We must be the responsible stewards of our thoughts.

The intellect is one of the greatest gifts of our species. 'Abdu'l-Bahá, a central figure of the Bahá'í Faith, calls the intellect the "God's greatest gift to man." (citation: Paris Talks). It is a key characteristic that distinguishes us from other animals and has enabled us to flourish as a species.

And yet, modern living can convince us that the world of the mind is a sufficient playground for the intellect. But if an idea — whether for your startup or your philosophy — stays confined in your own head, it has no power. A first step is discussing it with others, sharing your thoughts. More powerful still is creating something with it — art, a conversation, a sketch, a blog post, a product.

Your mind is a powerful force, but only if it finds expression through action.

Here's my invitation: ask yourself, what have I been thinking about but have not taken action towards? What thoughts keep coming to my head that I have not expressed?

Pick one of those ideas today. Send a text, sketch it out, speak it aloud — give it even the smallest breath of life outside your head.