Accepting the fact that I'm stupid gave me an immense amount of freedom.
Quick thought
I think we all want to believe that we are gifted in some way. And really we probably all are at some field or another. In this though, I'm talking about general intelligence.
On this morning's run, I came to to the blunt conclusion: By default, I am completely average. I have no superintelligence, no novel insights, no upper hand at business, no overwhelming superiority in any field. Everything I've earned in my life has come of the result of long hours and focused practice.
Ironically, this realization gave me a sense of freedom and lightness. For one, I'm thankful to even be capable and average, health and a working brain is a blessing. I don't take that for granted. Second, it's freeing to accept that my success and failure in life rests entirely on my efforts. It simplifies things. If I want something, I'll have to work hard for it. It's not going to come easily or by chance, it will be hard. To accept that something will be hard from the outset is freeing, you know what you're getting into.
So, that's what my run produced this morning. I'm thankful. I'm excited. Right now I'm working on custom sauna hats (go buy one), revamping my iOS app (download it!), and writing more. Nothing comes intuitive, I'm bad at it all by default. But I know with effort I can get better and that's enough to carry on.