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It’s A Jungle In There — Explaining Giftedness
It’s embarrassing. You probably don’t tell anyone that you read this blog. You keep it a secret. Right? Because if you told them, you’d have to explain just what a rainforest mind is. And then you might have to tell them that there could be a very very slim chance but it’s probably unlikely that…
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My Overexcitable Hair
Admit it. You exude effervescence, exuberance and ebullience. Maybe it’s in the way you talk. Or the way you write. Maybe it’s in how you gush over photos from the Mars Rover. Or how you swoon over Sherlock. In my last post, I briefly explained “overexcitabilities.” (OEs) The expression comes from psychologist K. Dabrowski‘s research on giftedness. He says…
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The Hazards Of Praise And Too Much Smartness
Perhaps you were a curious, effervescent 8 year old. You adored your books and your teachers. You excelled at academics and got straight A’s. Your parents were thrilled by your accomplishments and told you how smart you were. Teachers appreciated your helpfulness and praised you for your grades. The attention was well-meant but excessive. It felt good, and yet, you questioned the truth…
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Gifted? High Achieving? Pushy Parents? The Ongoing Debate
I’m old. Former students of mine are in their late 40s. I was a teacher in the 1970s. Old. Granted, 63 is the new 53. But still. OK. Maybe I’m just old-ish. A lot has changed over all of those years. One thing hasn’t changed. People are still trying to define giftedness. They might ask– Is everyone…
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The Most Unnecessary Blog
Why would anyone write a blog for smart people? Gifted adults, no less. Isn’t that the most unnecessary blog you can imagine? Gifted people are busy in their labs curing cancer. Or they’re writing Pulitzer prize-winning novels. Or they’re designing the next even smarter phone. They don’t need a blog. Right? Yes and no. Of course, some gifted people are doing…
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If I’m So Smart, Why Am I So Anxious?
Feeling more, sensing more, thinking more, knowing more. Extremely sensitive to sounds, smells, tastes, colors, touch, emotions, weather, food, chemicals, energy, bad news, criticism, the invisible world and beauty. A mind that moves at warp speed, seeks meaning, analyzes the hell out of everything, wonders, generates gazillions of ideas, and watches itself watching itself. A…
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I’m Not Gifted, I’m Just Lucky–Part Two
I know. You’re not gifted. Humor me. If you were gifted, here are some things you would need to know. 1. Intelligence is not a fixed, hard, immutable thing. Intelligence is not an either you-are or you’re-not situation. Sure, you have a rainforest mind. You’re smart, sensitive, empathetic, analytical, creative, intense, perfectionistic and complicated. But that doesn’t…
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I’m Not Gifted, I’m Just Lucky
I’m not gifted, the teacher likes me. I’m not gifted, I’m a good test taker. I’m not gifted, I barely passed calculus. I’m not gifted, this is easy. I’m not gifted, I haven’t done anything remarkable. Sound familiar? But what if you are g-g-gifted. Why do you feel like you aren’t? Why do you feel like…
YOUR RAINFOREST MIND
SUPPORT FOR THE EXCESSIVELY CURIOUS, CREATIVE, SMART & SENSITIVE
