This book provides you with “The Data” using exerts of resources on the challenges of high abilities. It gives a personal story in “The Experience” of the challenges. Then leads the way for your own introspection and growth through “The Quest”. This is a tool for acknowledging and expressing your multi-talents.
Darlene Johnston says: I had a hard time putting it down.
Douglas Eby says: ”Being multi-talented includes a complex wealth of personal qualities and exceptional abilities, as well as multiple challenges both from within and from interactions with others. Dr. Johnston includes in her book a variety of helpful material to help us better understand these complexities, using quotes from well-known writers on giftedness plus her personal experiences and perspectives as a counselor.
She presents topics that challenge most gifted and exceptional people, such as fitting in with mainstream culture and work environments, with excerpts from related books and her own insights, along with helpful questionnaires and exercises to explore these topics in a personal way, to help the reader, as she says, enhance “your gift of expression and your contribution. Experience the joy of being you!”
Douglas Eby – writer, researcher and online publisher on the psychology of creative expression and personal change. He is author of the book “Developing Multiple Talents: The personal side of creative expression” and creator of the Talent Development Resources series of sites http://talentdevelop.com.
From the Introduction:
Welcome to a side track in the life journey of a multi-talented individual!
- Points where I struggled, learned lessons, and strategies were:
- Frustration of teachers in what to do with me
- Rejection of peers
- My frustration in various employment settings seeing better options, providing suggestion and being ignored or discounted
- Emotional roller coaster with extreme sensitivity, yet knowing the reaction was out of balance
- So many interests, resulting in a career path of diversity and not a single track
- Insatiable desire to learn and explore
- Childlike exuberance
- Responsibilities versus play
The exploration we will be doing consists of: a brief description of a particular aspect or crossroad for a multi-talented individual; followed by a brief story example; and then three exercises for you to explore and develop your own point of view.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. The Difference
Characteristics of a Multi-Talented Individual
2. Important to Me
My Foundation as a Multi-Talented Individual
3. The World Around
Impact on a Multi-Talented Individual
4. To Be or Not To Be
The Ongoing Dilemma of Fitting In for a Multi-Talented Individual
5. Exuberance, Excitement, Energy
The “Too Much” Factor of a Multi-Talented Individual
6. Of Course You Can
The Personal and Others Expectations of a Multi-Talented Individual
7. Learning a Skill
Beyond What Comes Natural for a Multi-Talented Individual
8. Beyond What’s Natural
Creating Excellent Abilities of Multi-Talented Individual
9. Too Much, Not Enough
Creating Balance as a Multi-Talented Individual
10. So Much to Give
Contributions of Multi-Talented Individuals
11. Different But Not Alone
Connecting with Other Multi-Talented Individuals
12. Then There is Everybody Else
Connecting with the Community Around for Multi-Talented Individuals
13. Patterns Galore
Connecting the Dots of What We See and Can Do as Multi-Talented Individuals
References
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