Self-Identity in the Development of the Gifted? Until.....

Gifted adults come from a long line of thinking, feeling, and acting differently when compared to other people. Their higher intelligence causes them to interact with their world in lush way that leads to a deeper understanding of the environment. Their biology impacts what stimuli they experience, while their child rearing influences how they feel about themselves in the world. That is true at least until.......

The gifted begin to understand these perceptual differences among people and how to navigate their social environment. When the gifted have formulated a core identity and learn how to interact with others, they can create a better perception of self.

Understanding the self makes a huge difference in whether they will under perform or move into genius status.

Morelock explains giftedness as.... "Trying to fit in at the expense of the Self leads many gifted people to feel like aliens from a different planet ..." ( 1998, p. 205).

The alien feeling is about knowing one is different and not knowing why. No one stepped up to see the potential and develop it fully so the genius can live a happy and fulfilling life.

Their quantitative and qualitative from the bell curve average puts them on a different path of trajectory. Strong environments will create a positive trajectory while difficult environments may derail the person into a world of mediocre. We lose our geniuses in our common everyday experiences.

Gifted students need support throughout their developmental process to ensure they truly understand themselves, the world around them, and their place within it. The process of developing and creating a sense of self will make the difference between those who perform and those who won't.

Why should we care?

Genius is a community activity raised from the crop of human development. If the community doesn't support it; or worse shuns it! The genius will hide his/her skills and move to more mundane activities that let them fit in. On the flip side, if our society develops the gifted to push them to contribute to society we create a stronger country and better world.

Morelock, M. J., (1996). On the nature of giftedness and talent: Imposing order on chaos. Roeper Review, 19, 4-12.

Sense of Community on the Slopes

Bonfires and beverages make a great way to get to know your neighbor. In the skiing community they offer opportunities to warm up and engage in discussion. People stop by these places to take a break and meet new people. Hidden among the trees is a roaring fire with people taking a break from the slopes. 

Jogging in the Woods, During the Winter, and With Snow for Max Fitness

In the summer its easy to go out and jog! Its even easier to go jogging on the treadmill where the terrain is level. When you take the leap and start jogging in the woods is when you see the truest use of fitness. Today I went out hiking down wooded trails with my jacket, hat, gloves, and boots. With music pumping in from my headphone I decided to start jogging.

Let me tell you that it was an exhilarating feeling! I'm in the middle of the woods, listening to great music, and jogging with full winter gear on. Hiking boots and all! The way we may need to run if we were hunting, surviving, and in the wilderness. We are not in our t-shirt and jogging shoes on a level surface. When we do this in cold weather we are pumping our lungs as we run up and down the trail with the snow slowing us down.

Tough to get a better workout on that. Just be careful of the ice!

Santa and Deals in the Escanaba Mall

You know its Christmas when the Santa's come out and the kids start screaming. Christmas events are drawing people into the mall. Stores, that are not normally available, have set up shop. Circle M and Esky, Gladstone and Rapid River apparel (Sorry forgot the name of the store).

Its a great time to get into the mall and see some of the large discounts. I have been buying gifts on discount this morning (shhhhhh!!! Don't tell anyone I buy on the clearance rack.).

Cross Country Skiing and its Fitness Level

Cross country skiing is a great workout that is much easier on the body than say jogging or other sports that jar the body. The movement of the arms and legs forward and backward lead to a high level of cardio impact without necessarily making any hard moves on the body. It is a fluid motion that maintains a level of resistance for muscle building.

Improving one's body means getting out and putting a level of stress on it. That doesn't mean we should wear it out and cause injury. It does mean we find activities that are physically challenging while still being enjoyable. Playing in the snow is enjoyable to me!!!

Exploring New Ways of Painting Through Integrative Learning

Painting is a a creative outlet for me. While I'm watching TV or working on my house, I will sometimes bounce over to the the corner I designated for painting and work on a paint project. Because I do not sell these for much, and donate a large percentage of the money to charity, I am willing to risk making mistakes. When I don't understand something I go online and find a new method.

Like many other activities painting is a learning process. With time you start to think more along the lines of detail and improvement. For example, now I notice brush strokes, shading, and method a little more than before I painted.

Once you learn something you can apply it. This process of learning, applying, and solving problems can go on throughout a persons life. If they are aware that this process is occurring they can come to master what they learn and know why they learned it.

You only judge yourself because it has nothing to do with other people and their abilities. My painting is pretty good but it isn't "great". With time detail will improve. You can get your own basic paint set at any art store for under $50 with canvas. Where you gain the knowledge is up to you.

You can buy it here https://www.ebay.com/itm/173690230585

Pushing Employees to Master New Skills

Employees don't wake up and wonder how they can improve their skills. Instead they live by patterns that determine which skills they need to earn an income. When their patterns don't change they don't need new skills. When patterns change, the employee must change as well. How does a manager improve employee skills?

First, create the momentum for change. Patterns rule people's lives and without a change in the pattern people are generally unwilling to go through the stress of change. Let them they know change must happen now!

Second, there must be a reason to change. Sometimes we can simple explain to them the necessity of doing things differently while at other times we might need to use incentives to support change through performance adjustments.

Third, give workers a proper perspective. Let them conceptualize how their work skills impact the rest of the organization. Putting the work they do within a proper perspective can make a difference in their ability to understand the necessity of changes. Think of how these skills fit within a company's process.

Pushing people to go further is important in getting people to change. As manager we should create the momentum for change, provide the reasons for change, and give the worker proper perspective of change. As managers, it is our responsibility to foster change in ways that results in more productivity down the road and leads employees to goal achievement.