I was introduced to this reality quite early, when I was invited to our national mathematics summer school (at a younger age than most of the group), where I met the brilliant Terry Tao as a nine year old. I didn't know he would one day be regarded as the GOAT mathematician, so believing that he represented the bar I had to reach (and underestimating myself as my achievements were solely from my own efforts), I reassessed my ambitions to become a maths academic and allowed my parents to usher me into a different career pathway.
Whilst I didn't enjoy the early stages of my career, by applying my best efforts to all aspects of my work, over time, I've built a set of skills which enable me to 'make a key difference' almost every day that I am at work and that alone has been a source of more than ample satisfaction. I've also mentored many people in my field which has been, and still is, very rewarding.
My daughters are very happy to simply enjoy a well rounded life and my eldest, at 24, has certainly ticked a lot of items on her list already (medical degree, career, great social network, husband, first home, puppy).
My son has yet to reach, but may, one day, bump against, an unseen ceiling/barrier, with no one we know to guide him past or over. I advised (not ushered) him to study R & D Engineering for this reason - to acquire a wide breadth and strong depth of knowledge and skills so he can create his own niche wherever he may find himself.
Acknowledging that this world is far from the ideal system which would support gifts, talents and potential, some advice that I would give:
i) Every individual is the best judge of his/her success.
ii) Productive work, 'making a difference', should be highly valued, perhaps even more than being at the top of a field if you've had to climb on a lot of people to reach the top.
iii) If you teach and mentor others, you can enjoy their successes as yours too.
