The Genius Paradigm

“Your Child is No Genius!”

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Don’t Accept the World’s Opinion

In Angela Duckworth’s book GRIT, she shares how her father would tell her how she was “no genius” on a regular basis. (She went on to win what is nicknamed the “genius” grant.) Her father wasn’t being cruel.  He was just repeating what the world says about our kids.  And about us.

But it isn’t true.

You are a genius and your child is a genius.  I like to turn it around as Elizabeth Gilbert does in her book Big Magic.  She says that you HAVE genius.  It is there for the taking.

You HAVE genius.

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Characteristics of Genius – Generosity

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I was having a discussion yesterday with my 14-year-old son. He felt that whenever you do something good you do it for selfish reasons. His premise was that our brain is wired to give us a dopamine hit when we do things like that so we do more good things because we get this feel-good chemical. While I don’t quite agree with him on this it was a really good discussion and made me think. I love it when that happens!

He is right. On a biological level, we do get these feel-good chemicals and positive brain stimulation when we do something nice for others. But if that is true, why don’t we do more of it? There is so much more to the story.

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The Antifragility of Genius

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I’ve been listening to a fascinating book on Audible (have I mentioned how much I like Audible lately?) Antifragile: Things that Gain from Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. It is hitting on something I’ve been concerned about ever since I decided to share my Genius Paradigm ideas.

When I first started talking about the Genius Paradigm, I didn’t want to sound like Mr. Rogers just telling everyone that they are “special.” Not that they aren’t special – I love Fred Rogers! But he was called out as one of the reasons for the entitlement problem that we have today, and I don’t want anyone to think I support entitlement. I feel the people who blamed Mr. Rogers didn’t get what he was saying. He didn’t mean that you didn’t have to work for things or that everyone should get a trophy.

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Finding Time for Books

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I have to admit, COVID has done a number on my book consumption. You wouldn’t think it would. I’m home more so I should have more time for that, right?

But no.

My schedule pre-COVID included a lot of driving for my job so I would listen to books in the car. I could easily go through several books a month. It was great! Audible loved me! Now I sit home in front of my computer. I have a lot more paperwork and I have to make sure I get out of my chair on a regular basis. My car trips recently have been to the chiropractor. Sitting too much in front of a computer screen evidently is not good for your back. Or neck. Or shoulders.

Things are opening up again thank goodness but I’m probably not going to be back to my old driving schedule. I miss books. I’ve got to develop different habits.

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Realizing Genius

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Envisioning the Future

What kind of story are you stuck in? The kind you want to read about? A real page-turner (in a good way)? Or is it a little bit boring and predictable? Is the protagonist (you) living up to their full potential? Or are they living someone else’s life by getting caught up in video games and TV shows?

It takes some work and planning to realize your genius and write the story you want to live. A genius paradigm is easy to talk about but not always easy to implement.

It’s worth it, though.

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5 Helpful Books – Action-Oriented

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When family or friends come to me with a challenge, I usually send them away with a list of books. It has gotten so bad that my boys will laugh, and before I even get the words out, say, “Let me guess. You have a book that I should read?” This month I’m going to continue my series to explain the six characteristics that will help you live and share your genius. The fifth characteristic is Action-Oriented. Enjoy!

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5 Helpful Books – Talent

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Talent includes inner and outer resources that are available to you.

When family or friends come to me with a challenge, I usually send them away with a list of books. It has gotten so bad that my boys will laugh, and before I even get the words out, say, “Let me guess. You have a book that I should read?” This month I’m going to continue my series to explain the six characteristics that will help you live and share your genius. The fourth characteristic is TALENT, which I define as resources. Enjoy!

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8 Gratitude Activities

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Gratitude changes things and things right now need to change! With my Gratitude Project I suggest writing in a gratitude journal each day, but what if that doesn’t sound interesting to you? Here are some activities that you can do to share your gratitude in other ways. I’m all about individualizing and being the protagonist in your own story so do what works for you!

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5 Helpful Books – Optimism

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When family or friends come to me with a challenge, I usually send them away with a list of books. It has gotten so bad that my boys will laugh, and before I even get the words out, say, “Let me guess. You have a book that I should read?” This month I’m going to continue my series to explain the six characteristics that will help you live and share your genius. The third characteristic is OPTIMISM. Enjoy!

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The Arbinger Institute

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Our Genius Paradigm book group is discussing “The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict” by the Arbinger Institute for our August 18, 2020 meeting. (If you would like to sign up JOIN HERE.) Before a book discussion, I look up information about the author to help me get additional insights into the book. This book doesn’t have an individual author. It was written by an “institute.” This makes me think of many questions. What does this Institute do? Who are the members? Why couldn’t one of the leaders write the book rather than have it be a group effort? How long has this organization been around? Etc. So I took a little time and did some research. What I found was pretty interesting!

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