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Guest post by: Margaret Paul, Ph.D. Become an Author

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“Everybody 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

Did you know that everybody is a genius? I love this quote by Einstein because it points out a false belief that is pervasive in our culture—that genius is defined by a certain type of IQ which has to do with reading and math. But defining IQ by reading and math when your genius lies in a totally different direction is like judging a fish by its ability to climb a tree—it makes no sense at all.

When I was in school, we all had to take IQ tests and our intelligence was judged by how we did on the test. One of my friends didn’t do well and was devastated by it. However, a smart teacher took her under her wing and helped her to find her genius—the calling of her soul—which had to do with her emotional intelligence and her ability to help others. This friend went on to receive her Ph.D. in psychology! So what was the IQ test measuring? Certainly not her genius.

Are You Afraid to Find Your Genius?

Are you afraid that you will have to change your whole life, such as quit your job or move to another place, in order to express your soul’s desire—your genius? Be assured that your genius doesn’t have to be your work. If your work is fine just the way it is, but doesn’t make your heart sing, then you can seek to express your genius in your off-work time.

You might find over time that, by following the river of joy within your soul, your genius leads you into new and fulfilling work, a deeper calling. But unless you are miserable in your work, there is no hurry for this transition to occur.

Finding Your Genius

I often help my clients tune into their unique genius, and I’d love to be of help to you as well.

You find your genius by paying attention what brings a smile to your face, what enlivens you, what feels like pure fun to you—even if it is hard.

Start by letting go of any preconceived ideas about what you are ‘supposed’ to be good at, and tune into what you are good at. What comes easy to you, or what is hard but excites you? What do you love to do? How do you love to spend your time? How did you love to spend your time when you were a child? What could you spend hours doing and never notice the passage of time?

When you do something from your soul,

You feel a river moving in you,

a joy.~Rumi

Take these words in, for it is this joy of the river moving within you that is your unique genius—what your soul essence came to this planet to offer and express.

Are you more left-brain than right, or more right-brain than left? Does math bore you, but you come alive when you do something creative? Do you love helping people? Does being in nature move you? Do you love participating in physical things—sports, running, hiking, skiing and so on? Do you love being in groups or are you more of a one-to-one person? Do you have great organizational skills? Are you great with animals? Does history or science fascinate you? These are just a few of the questions you can ask to begin to discover your genius.

You are never too old to discover your genius. One of my acquaintances spent his whole working life in finance and he did extremely well. He liked it but didn’t love it. After he retired he became a photographer and found the joy of the river moving within him. One of my clients, who was also very successful in finance, found his genius in being an organic gardener. It’s interesting to me that both these men did extremely well in their chosen profession, but what they did never moved their soul. Pursuing what they are passionate about does.

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