What if, when you were five years old, you knew you wanted to be a paleontologist-astronaut-librarian-dancer-firefighter when you grew up? What if, when you were nine years old, your favorite activity was listening to your mom read from her texts on Darwin’s theory of evolution? What if, when you were ten, you were devastated when you couldn’t watch your BBC documentaries? What if, when you were fourteen, you chose Jane Austen over The Brady Bunch?
Do you think that you might have been gifted?
What if, when you were in school, you failed multiple choice tests because you could explain how all of the answers could be correct? What if, when you were in school, you were called a know-it-all because you couldn’t contain your enthusiasm for fractals? What if, when you were in school, you were lonely because you didn’t care about football? What if, when you were in school, teachers gave you extra worksheets instead of answering your questions about the meaninglessness of life?
Do you think that you might have been gifted?
And now–
What if you tend to be anxious because you’re often overwhelmed by all of the suffering in the world? What if you tend to be anxious because you can feel your father’s, your friend’s, your neighbor’s and your cat’s unspoken distress? What if you tend to be anxious because you can’t forget the mistake you made five years ago? What if you tend to be anxious because you may be exposed as a fraud at any moment? What if you tend to be anxious because you feel pressure to be brilliant all of the time because people tell you how smart you are and you can’t disappoint them but you know that, in fact, you aren’t all that smart?
Do you think that you might be gifted?
Yep.
It’s true.
Still gifted after all these years.
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To my blogEEs: Which of the above examples can you relate to? What different examples can you share with us? I appreciate hearing from you so much. Everyone benefits from your comments. Let us know your questions, thoughts, feelings, hopes and dreams. Remember, here, your complexity is welcomed!
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