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    Joined: Nov 2007
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    I've been thinking alot about what it is to be gifted in this world and what it has done (or not done) for me in terms of my life. I know most of you (if not all) are gifted in your own right, not just your children, and I was wondering what positive effects this has had on your life. And I don't just mean that you can do crossword puzzles really, really fast!!!!! :-)


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    I am really good at dealing with boredom because I can always read a book or just daydream.

    I am great at problem solving, which has led to a great job with great benefits and flexibility. I also make enough money so that my husband can stay home with the kids.

    I have the ability to pick new things up quickly - allowing me to collect hobbies, my favorite thing to collect.

    There is more , but that is all I can think of at the moment.


    Mary
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    acs Offline
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    I love learning new things, which makes it hard to be bored. I'm now taking a graduate course (CFK--I'm over 40 and also starting my second advanced degree) in a completely different field than my last one. I didn't realize how hungry my brain had gotten for new information (not just rehashing and modifying the old information)until I started this program. I'm having so much FUN.

    I have always worked in and around health care and I would say the best thing about my abilities is that with them I have helped hundreds of people get through crises and make their lives better. I wouldn't trade that for anything.

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    I'm with acs--my love of learning. I'm curious about darn near everything. That makes me great at trivia games and cocktail parties! laugh

    It did make choosing a major hard though! I wanted to study everything, and the old chestnut "You can do anything you want to do" wasn't very helpful.


    Kriston
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    I think it has helped me to relate to my PG dd. When she has frustrations or doesn't understand something I think I'm able to teach her things in a way that really gets through to her.

    Its funny, its not something I talk about with others that often. I was like dd when I was young. In K the school wanted me to skip to 2nd grade but I was only 4 and extremely tiny and shy and my Mom said nope. I was in GT but really leveled out in school. Looking back now I realize it was boredom. I would ace anything I studied for but had no real desire to excel academically. Ironic because all through jr, high school and 2 years of college I was pre-med...I had all AP courses and without thinking about it would get B's. If I liked a class I got A's. Hindsight is 20-20, though. Wish I had the desire then. Anyway, I think its helped me always land on my feet, though. I have a knack for numbers and managed to fall backwards into Finance! I did that for 8years before "retiring" to stay home with my kids. lol....Funny where life takes ya!

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    Dottie - LOVED the Mensa lapel pin remark!!! I laughed all the way to pick up my kids.

    mayreeh and acs - you're right about never being bored. I had never thought of that as part of being gifted.

    CFK - wow!! It really did make a wonderful difference in your life. Fantastic!

    Kriston and acs - I'm with you about craving to learn new things. Sometimes I feel like my brain is just stagnating and it needs to learn something new!! I think that is why I'm such a researcher - I love to stimulate the old thought processes.

    Tammiane - it's not something I talk about with anyone either. It's hard to find people to talk about these kinds of things with. Great that you were able to use your knack for numbers to your advantage though.

    Thanks for all the replies. Sometimes I only see the negatives (feeling different, having no one to really relate to sometimes even as an adult, etc.). It's good to see the positive things and to realize some of the things I take for granted, such as never being bored and being constantly curious and wanting to learn new things, are part of the whole "gifted" package.

    I'd love to hear some more if anyone has anything else! But if not, thanks for the replies!!!

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    Wholehearted ditto about never getting bored.

    I guess I think the course of my life, like everyone else who answered, was intertwined with being gifted: meeting interesting friends, going to a gifted magnet HS and a top college where I met my gifted DH, etc. I was successful in my career when I worked.

    A good thing that helps me now is creative thinking, whether it's about my kids' education or some volunteer activities I'm involved with. I've helped bring interesting programs to schools, summer camps, a city-wide science festival (which sadly I come up with all the ideas), established our gifted assoc and set up speakers & write the newsletter, etc.

    On the negative side, it's sometimes hard to turn off the endless analysis going on in my mind and enjoy the moment. I have to consciously tell myself to relax and put other things aside. My older sister who is incredibly bright is worse than I am...she doesn't stop planning and analyzing. It's high intensity and exhausting. Also, with her, she can get 100s on every test in grad school, but lacks common sense and a sense of humor(my DH always jokes with her and she says, "I don't get it")

    Like EandC who says, "it's hard to find people to talk to about these kinds of things" I do find it lonesome many times and have trouble connecting to people around here. I remember one Book Club meeting where a woman wouldn't stop talking to me about her vacuum cleaners and I thought I was going to die...what about the book? And one luncheon where the big topic was who does your hair? Aggh!






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    Oh, I so identify, cym! I have always been a pretty good chameleon, but there's a difference between getting along and feeling at home.

    The worst case of not fitting in for me was when I was in grad school and attending a class reunion with my then-boyfriend (who was in the same program). It was a VERY small Missouri town with a big gender divide, and so he went off with the guys and left me with the women. They shared baby poop stories for 60 straight minutes. Seriously, it was amazing how many stories they had about baby poop! They weren't even funny or cute stories, and they didn't talk about their kids as people at all. They just talked about poop. Bleah! crazy

    At last I could stand it no longer. I chased down my date and let him have what-for for abandoning me to THAT! His response? "But you can talk to anyone about anything." My annoyed response, "Well, I think we found my limit!" LOL!

    To this day, I will not discuss baby poop with anyone for any amount of time. So perhaps it was a good lesson to learn. Ha!

    But, boy, did I ever not fit in!


    Kriston
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    I used to play Bunko, until I realized that half the participants thought they were quite skilled at the game.

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    Kriston, I think you hit the nail on the head with the "there's a difference between getting along and feeling at home." I am a pretty good chameleon too. I can talk hair and baby poop for awhile before I have to run screaming into the night! Now the book club thing, cym, that is a different story. If we are there to discuss books, let's discuss books!!! :-) Seriously, from the outside I look as if I have tons of friends that I am quite close to, and in some ways I am, but I don't currently have a friend that I am completely "at home" with. I miss that very much actually.

    cym I am very impressed with you. You sound like you are a person who really uses their abilities to their advantage. You must be somewhat extroverted. My introverted (though trying hard to be more extroverted) self is exhausted by just reading all the things have have accomplished!!! I need to take a page from your book and try to make a difference.

    I'm glad to know that other people feel the same way as I do. It's nice to have this outlet to discuss these types of things. :-)

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