Be the Genius You Were Born to Be

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Many of us have likely been asked that question, at least as a child. I’ve even heard many adults give a nervous chuckle as they jokingly ask themselves the question again as adults. Knowing very well they’re far too invested in their current careers to make any sort of change now. Or are they?

Millennials, though they don’t typically share their parents’ values of loyalty to one company, still struggle with this question. 

Growing up, I can recall wanting to be at least five different things.

An astronaut, a writer, a French professor, a physicist, and a pilot. It wasn’t that I kept changing my mind. I kept adding things. I wanted to be all of them. I didn’t know how to articulate it then, but looking back I can see that this was because each embodied a different part of me. If you’ve seen it, it reminds me of the core memories in Pixar’s lovable Inside Out movie. 

Absolute Truth is Found in All Perspectives

The Whole is Greater than the Sum of its Parts.

Aristotle

I’ll introduce one of my personal insights here. Stay with me, I swear I’ll tie it all together.

In any good math problem, the whole is equal to the sum of its parts.

There is also Artistotle’s metaphysical take on this concept but for now let’s stick with the math perspective. If each aspect of creation is a single perspective, then the sum of each perspective must equal the whole perspective. If you combine each unique perspective together, you get the whole truth. 

This hit me in a really profound way. I had a glimpse into what it would be like to have the perspective of not just each human being on this planet, but each living creature, each organism, each molecule. 

To give Aristotle his due credit, consciousness as a whole then is, indeed, greater than the sum of its parts.

Imagine being that greater consciousness. Not only do you have every unique individual perspective, you also have the perspective of the whole.  

Taking this concept to a logical conclusion, I will find absolute truth when I have the vantage point of all perspectives, all at once. Since there are an infinite number of perspectives, it is rather unlikely that I will ever achieve this.

This was liberating to me because it gave me permission to see the world from my own personal, albeit limited, perspective. It stripped right and wrong from my vocabulary and instead inserted, “my perspective” into the blank. My perspective is one part of the whole. Without it, the whole is incomplete. Thus, each perspective is equally valid and true, in part.

As I strive to see the world from more perspectives, I come closer to the whole truth.

Look to Nature for Examples of Authenticity

Have you ever seen a fish try to climb a tree?

You haven’t, have you. That’s because fish have no business climbing trees. They’re terrible at it. In fact, if they tried for too long, they would die. So they don’t.

Animals are beautiful examples of authenticity. They don’t have thoughts to get them all sideways about who they are.  

Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.

Albert Einstein

Are you a fish trying to climb a tree?

Are you comparing yourself to everybody else and then beating yourself up for not being good at something you have no business being good at? Stop that.

Einstein rejected the notion that he was an exceptional genius because he believed that each person is a genius at his or her own unique talents. We all have some sort of genius in us. We are all one perspective of the greater whole, serving the whole from our unique perspective. Our job then is to let that genius inside of us free.

How to Set Your Genius Free 

If you’ve been struggling with who you are and who you want to be, I’ll offer a few practical tools you can try that helped me realize I wanted to start expressing myself through this blog.

1. Stop Comparing Yourself To Everybody Else

This is absolutely number one. Stop it. Just stop.

I know it’s next to impossible in the competitive world we live in where we are constantly being judged by how we compare to the people around us. But seriously, stop.

I like to break it down to intention. What is your intention when you compare yourself to someone else? Likely so that you can size yourself up, and determine whether you’re superior or inferior to the other person based on whatever criteria it is that you are using (looks, intelligence, spirituality, etc.). That feels like insecurity. Scarcity. Fear. Yuck.

What if instead of comparing yourself to others, you viewed other people as an integral part in your journey. There to help, not hinder. Your intention would be something different entirely. It would be one of collaboration and generosity and gratitude.

I sometimes (ok, maybe often) catch myself envying people who have achieved the kind of dreams that I’m striving for. As soon as I do though, I realize that it’s my ego taking over again and I can laugh at myself. That person I was just jealous of is just a unique genius that has nothing to do with me, who had the courage to be him or herself in this big judging world. Shining examples of what is possible for all of us.

Start caring more about what you think than what anybody else thinks.

2. Get Quiet

This step is important. If you want to fill your mind with new thoughts, you have to clear it of the old thoughts. That comes by quieting your mind. 

For me, I find meditation extremely effective for this. I used to run a lot (that was before I moved to Florida) and that helped clear my mind as well. Whatever your method, clear out some space up there.  

3. Get Curious

Play around with your life. It’s your life, don’t let anyone tell what it’s supposed to look like. Revisit those old childhood fantasies. Let yourself go there. Let yourself feel whatever it is that comes up. Dust off that old imagination of yours. What’s the scariest thing that can happen, you feel something? 

Consider it a brainstorming session. No judgement! Think freely. If you’re comfortable with it, you can pull in some friends who know you well. But be careful with this one; if you’re the type who will readily listen to others over yourself, stay away from this one for now.

4. Act on Your Excitement

Many people die at twenty five and aren’t buried until they are seventy five.

Benjamin Franklin

I recently heard this quote and was struck by how true it rang for me. Why do we think life freezes at 25 and we’re stuck with the life we’ve created thus far. There’s nothing magical about our youth; life keeps going. We keep growing and evolving. The best years are always yet to come. Ben’s quote reminded me that I’m never too old to dream, and I’m especially never too old to go after my dreams. Life keeps going, with or without us.

Of all the things that came up in your brainstorming session, pick the one you’re most excited about – ok so keep it legal, moral, and ethical, please. It doesn’t have to make sense. Who cares if you’re “wrong.” 

Just try it out, see where it goes.

5. If At First You Don’t Succeed, Try Try Again

I wanted to be an astronaut, a writer, a French professor, a physicist, and a pilot. I picked aerospace engineer because it got me closer to 3 out of the 5 and everyone said it’d make me the most money. I’ve had a whole lot of fun with that, but I’m ready to start expanding into the rest of myself. 

In one of Oprah’s SuperSoul Sundays, Wes Moore talked about our jobs and our work and how for many of us these are two different things. My job is defined by my employer. My work is something much, much bigger.  

In my search to define my life’s work, I got quiet and curious and acted on the most exciting thing I could think of – to start this blog. Now here I am writing this for you. If I don’t succeed, I’ll be trying something else. 

You’re never too anything to start cultivating your genius.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on these concepts! Shoot me an email or leave a comment. Let me know if there’s anything you’d love to hear more about. Next month we’ll be digging deeper into the concept of “staying the course” so stay tuned for much more!