Your ‘I-Can’ is more important than your IQ
We admire intelligence and conduct tests to determine it. We use it as a measure of potential. For years, we’ve believed that IQ is the best indicator of success. But let me tell you something I’ve learned from building and scaling a business: it is not.
IQ may help you solve problems on paper, but in real life, especially in entrepreneurship, it’s your “I-Can” mindset that moves things forward.
I have met numerous brilliant people who never start, overthink until the moment passes, or are afraid to get it wrong. And I’ve seen others, who are not necessarily the smartest, build something meaningful only because they chose to show up and figure it out. Over and over again.
IQ may open the door, but it doesn’t walk through it for you.
IQ measures how well you can analyze, reason, and remember. And yes, those things are important. But what it does not measure is:
- Your willingness to act when things are unclear
- Your ability to recover after failure
- Your desire to learn by doing
- Your patience in building something without instant results
IQ can help you excel in exams. But real-life situations don’t come with model answers. Business definitely doesn’t.
People who know everything do not create new ideas. They are made by people who believe they can figure it out, even if they don’t have all of the answers yet.
So what exactly is “I-Can”?
“I-Can” is an attitude. A mindset and belief that says:
“I may not know how right now, but I’ll learn.”
“I might fail at this, but I’ll try anyway.”
“This looks hard, but I’m not backing off.”
It’s never about confidence or perfection. It all comes down to your determination to get started.
In my own journey with ProofHub, I didn’t have all the answers at the beginning. In fact, I had more questions than anything else. But the decision to act — to try, test, and improve — is what moved things forward. That’s what still does.
Every meaningful thing we’ve built at ProofHub began with someone suggesting: “Let’s try.” Not “Let’s wait till we’re sure.”
And here is the thing — this mindset is not limited to entrepreneurs. Some of the best people I’ve worked with weren’t the most qualified on paper. But they took ownership, asked questions, and pushed themselves. They did not wait for permission or perfection. They just figured things out.
That is “I-Can.”
This mindset is what wins in the long run.
Because this is what happens when you believe you can:
- Stop waiting for perfect conditions
- Don’t get paralyzed by the unknown
- Recover faster from setbacks
- Continue moving when others stop
I have seen it over and again: people who take the initiative, even when they are unsure, outperform people who are still preparing to get everything “just right.”
You do not have to be a genius to get started. You just need motion.
Want to develop your ‘I-Can’ mindset? Start here.
‘I-Can’ mindset is not something that you are born with. You build it. And like any other muscle, it grows when you use it.
Here are a few tips that work:
- Start before you’re ready. You will never know everything. The only way to learn is by doing.
- Learn to accept mistakes. Progress is never clean. Neither is growth. So, embrace the mess, it’s part of the process.
- Focus on what you can control. Not your background, not your credentials, you can control only your next step, so focus on that.
- Celebrate small wins. Momentum builds belief. Acknowledge every step forward; no victory is too small to celebrate your progress.
- Choose your environment wisely. Surround yourself with people who take action, not just talk about it.
This mindset has a significant impact on teams. It promotes a culture of ownership. People stop waiting for instructions. They search for solutions. They try, learn and succeed. That’s how products improve, businesses grow, and teams develop.
Yes, intelligence helps. But belief beats doubt and action beats hesitation.
The ones who build things, lead teams, launch ideas, and change the game? They are not always the brightest in the room. They only believe they can make things happen, and this belief makes all the difference.
In the end, it doesn’t matter how much you know. It’s what you do with what you have. So next time you are unsure, overwhelmed, or second-guessing yourself, remind yourself: “I can figure it out.”
Because that mindset drives real progress.
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