This week, I had quite the challenge. I could not for the life of me figure out what to write about. So I sat down and just thought, "What do I love? What can I write about?" I thought about intelligence, schooling, family, and dogs. In the end, it was so simple.

Intelligence--we all have it, whether we choose to embrace it and use it, or not. As you grow up, I believe every choice you make, and every lesson you learn(or don't learn) molds your intelligence. Book smarts and street smarts all factor into what you know, and what your intelligence is built of.

We all make mistakes in life and tell ourselves that we are "dumb as a box of rocks," or "I'm not the brightest crayon in the box." Downing yourself will make you believe your intelligence isn't there, but it is. You are choosing to believe less of yourself, when deep down, you are so much more.

Sometimes, it can take failing in life, to really open yourself up to just how much you are worth. It happened to me when I had barely started to live.

When I was in high school, I never paid attention, never did the homework, and only went to see the friends I had. I didn't care, and I sure wasn't thinking about the future. My senior year, I dropped out twice. The second time, I actually moved out, and to a town where I knew very few people. When that part of my life failed horribly, I knew I had to do something about it. I moved back home, and into my parents house. The high school was down the street, and they had an Adult Education wing. They did night classes for various things, as well as GED classes during the day. I started taking the classes, and they were going by much smoother than I would have expected. I had been out of school for close to two years, and I thought I had forgotten everything.

I was flying through the classes in almost every subject. The only ones I really had to work on was Science and Social Studies. I've never been a fan of those, even to this very day.

My math was almost perfect, and my reading and writing were both at college level. Even back then, I loved writing and I always felt a sense of relaxation as I wrote. Some things never change, even if you have.

The teachers at the Adult Education Center had such faith in me, and for good reason. They were so sure that I was going to pass the GED test, that they used some program they had to pay for it, so that I didn't have to. I ended up passing with flying colors. I had never felt so excited about anything. I had accomplished something entirely on my own, and that is a wonderful feeling.

The day my results came in the mail showing my HIGH passing score, I read them with my grandmother, (may she R.I.P) and she jumped up and down with me, where she was just as excited as I was.

Everyone has the potential for high intelligence. The brain is a very complex thing to understand. Even when you slack off, and pay no attention, you are still learning. You are all smart, whether you choose to believe it or not. Beauty is only skin deep, and eventually it goes away. However, your intelligence stays, and only grows.

Embrace your intelligence, and be all that you can be.