Have you ever had an IQ test - a so-called "intelligence" test? Do you know how well you did? That test may have done you more harm than good, and today I'll tell you why.

Here in the U.S., most everyone knows what an IQ test is. Many of us probably had one while we were in school. However, these tests can be dangerous, and here is why I think so.  

First of all, no one really knows what "intelligence" is, and these IQ tests really measure knowledge, which is a far different thing. Second, people are classified on the basis of their test scores. If it is done in school, teachers get an idea about how smart our kids are, and then they treat them that way. The kids get the idea from the teachers about how smart they are, and then they behave that way.

There is a famous study that was done years ago where teachers were told that a certain group of kids had enormous potential, but were not living up to it. They were also told that another group of kids wasn't very bright. In actuality, all the kids had roughly equal ability. Well, they tested these kids at the end of the year, and they found that the children whom the teacher thought were bright had improved their IQ test scores by nearly 10 points! The other group had gone down.

See what I mean? What we need to do is not measure and label our kids, but encourage each and every one of them to use their unique talents and vast potential. Kids tend to live up to what is expected of them. So we need to see all of them as capable, bright, creative people and teach them to see themselves this way - from the very beginning.