Humans have a natural desire to share knowledge, demonstrate insight, and “teach” others. It feels good to explain something, correct someone, or show you understand a topic. In many social and professional settings, this instinct is so strong that people often waste energy teaching or debating with the wrong audience.
The Problem With Teaching Everyone
Time Drain: Explaining concepts to people who aren’t receptive or capable of understanding is exhausting.
Energy Drain: Constantly justifying ideas lowers your focus for tasks that actually matter.
Diminished Impact: Your insights get diluted when your audience can’t appreciate them, reducing the psychological payoff of teaching.
Not everyone is in a position to absorb what you know or apply it meaningfully. Trying to teach everyone is like watering rocks — effort is wasted where it can’t grow.
Focus on the Smart Ones
By “smart ones,” we mean people who can:
Comprehend complex ideas quickly.
Apply insights effectively.
Challenge your thinking in a way that enhances your own understanding.
Talking to intelligent and receptive individuals has compounding benefits:
1. Faster Growth: You learn more by exchanging ideas with capable minds.
2. Mutual Value Creation: Teaching isn’t one-sided; your insights spark actions and innovations in others.
3. Energy Efficiency: Every conversation is worth your time because it produces results, not frustration.
How to Filter Your Audience
Observe engagement:
Are they asking thoughtful questions, or just nodding along?
Assess application:
Do they take your advice and act on it, or forget it immediately?
Look for curiosity:
Smart people are naturally curious, always seeking to improve their understanding.
The urge to teach is universal, but your energy is finite. Stop trying to educate everyone — focus only on those who can understand, apply, and build upon your knowledge. That’s where the real value lies.
In short: teaching the right people multiplies your impact; teaching the wrong people just burns your energy.