Q: . Politicians aren't geniuses, they're well practiced, intelligent, confident, and charismatic individuals. They speak with conviction and passion and people don't question it. Confidence gets people go to give more weight to what you say. This does not work if what you're saying is obviously wrong, it will make you look like you're trying too hard. Think about it. Two people have the same argument -- one person delivers it slow and with hesitation, fumbling with their words, and not making eye contact with you. The other argues with hand gestures, quickly and with clarity, and shows their undoubted belief in the concept through their passion. Who would you believe? Be aware of that nasty voice in your head -- the one that's trying to make you miserable and derail you from feeling smart. We all have one that's telling us we're wrong, beating down our confidence. That's normal. Just know that this voice shouldn't be paid any mind. It's just there to annoy you. Just because you haven't read "War & Peace" doesn't mean you're not smart. You could be great at maps, spatial reasoning, or communicating with people. Most people have one type of intelligence they're pretty decent at. What's yours? You could be smart about nature, music, or even smart about how things move (not everyone can juggle). Maybe you're good with numbers, fixing cars, cooking, or gardening. If you haven't thought about it before, maybe you really are smart. Recent studies have shown that approximately 70% of people who act smart fake it around others. Know what that means? Those people you're worried about impressing aren't really all that smart -- they're just trying to impress you. Funny how the world works, huh? You know what that means? You can totally poke holes in their argument if you know where to look. Get confident -- your argument is just as valid as theirs. They just might be more convincing with it. Smart people are great at questioning things. Join 'em! Whenever someone presents something to you, question it. Why is it right? Is it rational? Why might people believe it if it weren't true? Is it good or bad? Just or unjust? Not only will you be smart, but you'll have your own opinions, too. We all get handed our cultures from birth. We get handed a political party, a religion, a belief system, manners, you name it, the adults in our lives shaped us from day one. Be open to the possibility that they were wrong. Consider different points of view. This will make you more confident in your belief system and better able to say why. . Ignorance is a terrible, terrible thing. If you're close-minded, you're not seeing both sides of the argument and you're unable to put yourself in the other person's shoes. What's smart about that? You got it -- nothing. It's those people who were open-minded, that questioned the status quo, that have driven every culture forward. If people weren't, we'd still be in a very primitive society, content with where we are. Obviously nothing good about that. And it doesn't take much intelligence to simply be open minded. You don't have to know anything about a topic to have an interesting, intelligent conversation. All you have to do is ask the right questions. In much the same way you would ask a person questions until you find something they really enjoy to get to know them, you ask a person questions to seem intelligent, too. Someone briefly mentions their trip to Antarctica testing theories on anthropogenic climate change? No one would be able to talk about that topic. Time to start asking a lot of questions to show your curiosity and desire to learn. Even if you don't have another person to bounce questions off of, you can get curious by yourself! Are you reading something online and run across a word you don't know? Look it up. A political concept that just is totally over your head? Look it up. If you don't know something, do something about it. You may not be asking someone about their penchant for fatalism, but you can notice tiny things about them that can give them other impressions. Insert little comments about something they mentioned offhand a bit ago or something you noticed in their home. The things we say and do are often indicative of our opinions -- you can put two and two together without them even knowing it. When your gang starts a heated debate on the current economic crisis, the only thing you have to do to chime in is have an opinion. There's no right or wrong on all these hot-button topics (religion, politics, current events, etc.) -- all you have to do is a bit of research and soul searching. What or who do you align yourself with? When it comes to "controversial celebrity" topics like Kim Kardashian, a smart person is really not interested enough to have an opinion -- things of that caliber aren't really interesting (or at least you don't admit it). The talk around the watercooler is about the Bachelorette? Nope, sorry, you were watching a documentary on the Ebola crises last night or reading, you've never seen the show, sounds silly.
A: Be confident Know there are different kinds of intelligence. Know that most people fake it. Question the status quo. Be open-minded Be curious. Notice things. Form opinions on controversial topics.

Q: The foil is going to be your key to keeping the burrito from falling apart while you eat it. The tortilla alone may not be wrapped tightly enough to hold all the ingredients in. While it is still wrapped in the foil, stand the burrito up on one end so that it is perpendicular to the table. A well-wrapped burrito should be able to stand up on its own, but this is not necessary for your enjoyment. Open the foil at the top end. Peel around the burrito like you are unwrapping a roll of lifesavers candy, but do not completely unwrap it. Tear off the loose piece of foil and set it aside. The remaining foil will secure the bottom of the burrito maintain its structural integrity as you eat it. If you do end up completely unwrapping the burrito you can try to use the foil as a holder by rewrapping some of it around the bottom. Grab your burrito with both hands to keep it stable. If you're not in a fancy restaurant, you can keep the burrito on the table and lean in to bite it in the early stages. Eventually you'll have to lift it to your mouth. When lifting it from the table to bite, keep it in both hands. Don't squeeze the burrito too tightly. You run the risk of puncturing the tortilla. Most burritos are too big for you to be able to fit its entire girth in your mouth without choking. Your best bet is to start off at one of the corners. Biting the burrito in the middle will just cause the contents to spill out. Take even bites working to keep the top of the burrito level. Every second you hold the burrito suspended above the table you run the risk of it falling apart. The foil will do its job, but while you're chewing, it's best to set the burrito back down. Keep your hands on it to prevent it from falling over. As you make your way further down the burrito, being sure to keep the bites even, tear off about an inch more of the foil and set it aside.
A:
Don't unwrap the whole burrito. Stand the burrito upright. Peel the foil down about an inch or two. Use two hands. Take a bite from one of the corners. Work your way across. Rest the end of the burrito back on the table. Peel back more of the foil.