What is?

What is...??

There are lots of definitions of STREET SMART but in short...

It means being more practical in life, and knows how to get work done in effective way.

There is no doubt in my mind street smarts kicks book smarts ass. To be street smart means you have situational awareness. You can assess the environment you are in, who is in it, and what the available angles are.

Most important perhaps, being street smart comes from experience. It means you’ve learned how to take what has happened to you, good or bad, think about it, and learn to improve from it.

Being a street smart you have to make your own decisions and if you fail the only person you can blame is you. You make your decisions whether it is right or wrong. If it is wrong you will suffer without any doubts. BUT... That is the point where the difference between BOOK SMART and STREET SMART you can see.

If you find a way to overcome your wrong decisions and fight the situation with more power than before and get succeed that make you STREET SMART.

Street smart and Book smarts have their different center of knowledge. Book smarts can know only the things that they read in books. That means book smarts have the knowledge equal to Author's  knowledge. They just read that not tried so they are not confident that it will work or not.

On the other hand street smart's center of knowledge is their own decisions and situations that they surpassed on their own. So they are confident that their tricks or way of doing will probably work.

And it's like "How much can you know about yourself if you've never been in fight?"-Tyler Durden.

There lots of people out there who arguing about street smarts and book smart. Some of them says that being street smarts you don't read books and get knowledge from it, you just go out on streets and learn about all of that already written in book,You just repeat history, wasting time to get the experience etc.etc. wrong ideas about street smart.

Being a street smart you have to get things done in effective way and it's doesn't matter that what way you choose to do. 

Every Author was once a street smart he write about his experience so next generation can learn new thing without repeating those which are already done by him. The world has no end and so your just one life can never be enough for getting all the experience.

So..being a street smart it doesn't mean that you don't read anything and just do anything you wanna do. It means you read the book and try the things written in it. Every person can't do that most of them just take that it will work for them but they can't get it that they are living totally different world from the author's world. 

->Book smart just take it that everything written in the book that will work for them too, but it's not sure. 
->Street smart make it sure..they try all that things and find their own ways by trying and failing and failing and again trying.They continuously trying to learn new things from day to day experience.

So, In the end i can say that being street smart you are being book smart too but with that you add your experience it the way of your doing work done and find the ways,tricks,rules,disciplines and limits of your own. And maybe some day you also write a book of your experience and someone read and learn from it to find the way of his own.

How to Be Street Smart

You can learn how to be book smart in school, but even someone with an Ivy League education can still be street foolish. No one learns how to navigate a dangerous neighborhood in the safety of a classroom. Likewise, you won't become street savvy while sitting at a computer and reading an article, but these guidelines are a good start. Note that these tips assume you're in a bad neighborhood where crime is commonplace; applying these steps in the workplace or on a college campus is probably excessive.

Some of the tips that i use in my life..

1.Getting Along With Others- Knowing which questions to ask and not asking too many,being polite and friendly, but also being assertive.

2.Common Sense- Knowing who you can trust, which areas in town are good and which are bad, etc.

3.Self-defense-Knowing how to fight and fend off an attacker, especially if you are small.

4.BS-detection-Knowing when people are trying to fuck you over, reading their intentions, and knowing that most corporate advertisements are complete bullshit.

Below section is a from Martin Zwilling(CEO of Startup Professionals) but i liked it so i shared with you.

1. Work smart. This means using discipline to get smart before you start working. Find out everything you can about the business domain you are targeting. In addition, maintain a change-oriented and future-focused mentality, with an actionable execution plan. When someone tells you they are working hard, it’s usually an excuse for not working smart.
2. Present everything. If you are trying to gain commitment or persuade someone, practice the discipline of thinking beyond conversational chatter. The four steps of a successful presentation always include preparation, practice, delivery, and asking for the order. Make these part of every interaction with partners, customers, and team members.
3. Deal with people. People do business with your people, not your startup. Finely tuned people skills make you more likeable, warm, friendly, open, and effective. Put yourself in their heads to see things from their perspective. Have patience, and listen actively before speaking. Street smart entrepreneurs practice this discipline until it is not work.
4. Watch your money. It’s not unusual for creative entrepreneurs to find finances difficult to understand, intimidating, or just a numbing bore. If you feel that way, find a partner who loves that critical side of the business. In reality, the discipline to manage cash does not require a financial genius. It just requires a discipline of relentless focus.
5. Get more business. This discipline is the art of making a constant of new business opportunities, new customers, and new revenue flowing into your startup. Develop an aggressive prospecting mentality, stay close to current and past customers, get referrals, and optimize Internet marketing. If you startup isn’t evolving and growing, you are failing
6. Manage yourself. Entrepreneurs will always be wearing many hats in their business and personal life. Even the more important activities can sometimes be excuses to avoid the underlying challenge of working toward you life-changing goals. Learn and practice time management disciplines. Banish procrastination. Be decisive. Have fun.
7. Everybody sells. It may not be in their job descriptions, but everyone in a startup should be selling. The very first moment that you have contact with an investor, or a customer has contact with your team, an impression and a perception is created. That perception is your reality, and you only get one chance to make it a good one.

Overall, street smarts also requires that you can put all these things together for problem solving, and to dodge and weave effectively through the risky business streets. It means balancing your idealistic vision of how things could be, against the realities of the business world. Confidence and a positive attitude are also required to be a street smart and successful entrepreneur.

But attitude and problem solving are not sufficient, without the basic disciplines outlined above. No one is born with all these disciplines. These represent the knowledge and experience of many successful business people. Study them carefully and practice them religiously. The alternative is a long and painful learning curve, which neither you nor your investors can afford.