Are We All Genius Material?

Are we all genius material? I'd like to think we are. It'a a curious term, genius, yet I have seen lots of posts in various human potential development forums about how to be a "genius".

Well, let's have a look at what trusty old Wiki says:

"A genius is a person of great intelligence, who shows an exceptional natural capacity of intellect, especially as shown in creative and original work. Geniuses - or genii (see Etymology) - always show strong individuality and imagination, and are not only intelligent, but unique and innovative."

So, it seems, that geniuses have the following traits: originality
individuality
imagination
uniqueness
innovation

Wikipedia goes on to suggest that even between geniuses, there are differences. Polymaths are the well-rounded geniuses, whereas people like our all-time favourite, Einstein, most certainly were not. Is one kind of genius better than the other?

My opinion: Being a genius is inherently worthless (except for the ego trip from the title) unless you have a real reason to be one. More importantly, because we are all original, unique and never exactly alike, by the definition above, we are already geniuses!

"You're fudging, Kaye!" I hear the cry. No, I'm not. "Genius" is a crown conferred by others, and many unrecognised geniuses live on in obscurity. A great many die in obscurity as well. All in all, it seems a pretty silly deal, especially for someone of supposed great intelligence, to aspire to genius just to obtain recognition. If it's the recognition you want, be a saint. Or a martyr. Much more mileage in that.

More importantly, the "true" geniuses never set out to be what they became. They simply followed their passion. Genius is not in the mind. It is in the heart. I sometimes think that we human intelligence movement people overlook that. To be a genius is not about being brilliant, but about having the courage to be individual, to follow your passion. True geniuses seek flow (see my piece on Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi), the state of total absorption in the subject or activity that suits their individual personalities.

So, yes, I believe we can all be geniuses. We simply have to find the right thing to be a genius about. Further, it is not a title to be pursued in its own right, but allowed to arise itself, like a diamond in the rough.

The Sources of Genius
We tap our geniuses through

• our unique mix of knowledge and exposure
• our curiosity in discovering different viewpoints
• our special stance on different issues
• our ability to formulate and express
  
• our ability to critique

Those are the mechanics, anyway. My experiences suggest that it is not those that trip people up. In fact, the faculties of genius are easily trained. Many people have done it, and many more will. Few geniuses are "born".

I think the things that trip more people up are:

• the fear of being different
• the fear of not being safe
• the fear of being heretical
• the lack of interest and curiosity
• mental laziness
• an unwillingness to give up an existing paradigm
• the tendency for an individual at rest or in motion to remain at rest or in motion without ever trying a different approach

None of the above is comprehensive, of course!

"Many men stumble upon ideas that could change the course of history. Most get up, dust themselves off, and keep on walking." - Author Unknown

The Man Who Couldn't Visualise

I was chatting with a friend the other day about how he would do for an interview the following day. I closed my eyes and consulted my Genius Intelligence. Then I told him exactly which parts of the interview process he would slip up on (not the one he expected) and which one he would ace (again, not the one he expected). He called me the very next day saying he would never doubt a word I said ever again. I love being able to consult with the Genius part of me who processes all the information I know, conscious and subconscious, to draw accurate conclusions. And yes, I have never known the Genius to be wrong yet, although I do occasionally misinterpret what he's trying to tell me (about once every 20 times or so).

Oooh Kaye, where do I learn this? Let me tell you a story:

Once upon a time, a man took a cutting edge course (at the time) at the very frontiers of mind development. Intrigued by the possibilities of discovering skills deep within ourselves, and the promise that we use less than 10% at the very most of our actual brain capacity, he investigated. And investigations took him through the realms of brainwaves, optimal behaviour, dream patterns, suggestibility and the modelling of excellence. Relaxing deep into the recesses of his mind, he found just one niggly little problem...he couldn't visualise.

Puzzled, he resorted to deep analysing (he is a highly intelligent individual). That didn't work. Using a special method, he tapped into a specific brainwave pattern known as alpha. This refers to the range of brainwaves betwen 7-14 cycles per second, associated with problem-solving, creativity and intuition. The answer came.

We may be thankful that Win Wenger did not give up, for in that moment, the process now known as Image Streaming was born. This is what has been said about that process:

"The Einstein Factor liberates mental abilities you didn’t know you had. I tried the techniques in the book and they paid off instantly. It’s almost scary."—Duncan Maxwell Anderson, senior editor, Success.


Jose Silva once said: "Intelligence is a measure of how well you solve problems. So, if you can increase your ability to solve problems, then you can increase your intelligence."

I'm with Jose. IQ tests are generally a good measure of how well you do in IQ tests. In the end, intelligence is ephemeral. We might as well get on with the more useful question of how it is going to improve our lives.

Well, Win went on to found Project Renaissance. To this day, they have developed more than 100 techniques that can benefit mankind. Actually, I should say "we", since I am also an instructor for that organisation, and proud of it. Stuff that you can do with the Project Renaissance material:

* Instantaneously gain multiple perspectives on any issue and how to resolve it.
* Discover how Einstein used his legendary mental resources, AND USE THEM AS YOUR VERY OWN!
* Potentially increase your intelligence and use a wholistic approach to studying.
* Extract outstanding behaviours from successful areas of your life and apply them universally.
* Extract OTHER people's outstanding behaviours and apply them universally. How'd you like to be Isaac Newton?
* Discover the power of Socratic learning - never have to consult anyone except your very own Genius.

And that's off the top of my head. Seriously, this stuff blows my mind.

And yes, that's the stuff I used to seemingly foresee the results of that interview with such startling accuracy. I must tell Win that story the next time I chat with him.