I would say what concerns me about the original post is the feeling of wasting an opportunity. I sometimes worry (and I worry especially for my children) that people tend to think that being gifted should automatically translate to being an executive or some high-powered figure or someone like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates... and where people tend to think that everyone around them are more successful than they are.
I found my old WISC scores just last year - after DS was tested as gifted, and found my last set from high school placing me in gifted - and yes, I have wondered at times that if my disability had been detected immediately instead of when I was 4, if I would have done even better - since I would not have had to spend years remediating for those 4 years (the constant jumps upwards over 3 WISC test during my school years shows the impact my disability had on artificially depressing my IQ score and one report even states that the WISC did not indicate my true potential)... but at the same time, I really don't have any regrets about my past and whether I should have been more successful than I am - because I am happy with my life and with my family, even though I am not a high powered executive or someone with significant influence (politics, education, corporate etc).
For me, it really has no affect on my life - it does not change who I am or how I view myself or my work life - it only helps me explain some quirks (and explains the constant surprise I would get from teachers from elementary through high school when I suddenly hit a sudden major learning curve or did better than they had expected from someone with my disability - but college and onwards, that constant surprise finally went away for the most part). It also warns me to keep an eye on my own children in terms of making sure we are aware of their full capabilities and making sure they are in an environment that can really meet their needs, and not in a place where we are in constant battle with administration.
