I read things and I pay attention. In fairness to others who do the same, that was honed by my mom giving me an incredible early education as a child, which gave me a huge head start. Aside from earlier-than-usual development, I was supplied with Eyewitness science books, the USBORNE book of knowledge, etc. and regular visits to the library. I skipped the first grade because I already knew the contents. The STAR (iirc, that was its name) reading system estimated my reading skill to be 12th grade when I was in 3rd. That probably says more about the test than me, but still. Such a foundation enables me to see the patterns that make up life.
edit: so I know I'm coming off as super arrogant here, that's whatever, it's fine. Just wanted to add that I also felt like one of the dumbest people in the room when I got to college and was actually specifically in a scholarship group with people who had the same or higher ACT scores. So I'm not that arrogant.