Focus is more important than genius

A quote i came across … Focus is more important than genius ! Is it really? Is focus on goals more important than intelligence ?

Let’s examine this quote carefully:

Focus is more important than genius

Focus is very important, it is one of the main qualities many successful people have. But is it more important than intelligence ?

The answer in my opinion is, depends on the field.

If we are talking engineering, science, technology, then focus is absolutely not more important than genius.
A guy with an IQ of 80 can focus all the time he wants, he’ll never come to Einstein conclusions. Genius and intelligence are the bedrocks of our civilization, you can not discard their importance.

If we are talking about business, then again i am not totally sure, as genius can help with money acquisition or finding new ways to reach a customer.
A guy with an IQ of 80 can focus till reaching the goal of opening a ice-cream shop, while the other guy with 120 IQ might fail to reach his goal but land a good job, earn enough money and then open a chain of ice cream shops. Here obviously focus is important, hustle is important but don’t discard intelligence.

If we are talking about sports or any activity that can be perfected with practice, here the quote is 100% valid and true.
I will take an unlikely scenario, just to show the importance of focus.
A guy with an IQ of 80, focusing on chess, playing many hours a day, would easily defeat a guy with an IQ of 140 who plays chess once a month.
In general, sports need focus, practice and determination.

Thus here if we replace focus with the word determination, and the word genius with intelligence and creativity, here’s what things look like:

• Sports : You mostly need determination to perfect your skills.
• Business: You need determination to keep trying and never give up, but also need intelligence to come up with optimal results.
• Science: Determination is important, however the key factor is intelligence.

Why “focus is more important than genius”, is such a catchy quote ?

• You can not change your intelligence, hence a motivational quote focuses on what you can improve.
• Many that aren’t school smart, see empowerment in such a quote.
• Steve Jobs success in bringing back Apple Computers from bankruptcy helped boost the idea of focus.
• Reality that being spread on multiple projects or objectives, lead to achieving none.

Check these similar quotes that discuss genius and determination:

Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration – Thomas Edison
Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not ;Genius will not; Education will not – Calvin Coolidge
Ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary feats, once they’ve routinized the right habits.
You don’t try to build a wall, you lay brick by brick and soon you have a wall – Will Smith