My professional focus has been on the gifted population since 2007. This is because I have a great deal of affinity with gifted people (see Chantal Woltring) and because I love working with them enormously. Their width, depth and intensity give me great joy. Abstract, cross domain, pattern seeking, quick associating thoughts and creative, divergent thinking come easy to me.
Many of my clients are happily surprised and relieved to finally have a coach that can actually follow them in the whole breadth of their experiences. Too often they have experienced coaches who could not cater to the intensity and depth of their needs, or whom they could (unconsciously) mislead too easily, thus not learning enough from their sessions.
Some may recognize themselves in descriptions as renaissance (wo)man, polymath, neo–generalist, multipotentialite or having a rainforest mind.
A Qualitative View on Giftedness
My clients recognise themselves in the following ways of being, often characteristic of certain (highly) gifted*:
- have advanced cognitive abilities (very quick, wide and nuanced in their thinking)
- enjoy discovering novelties and complexity and depth
- are autonomous in their will, wishes and desires
- driven by their curiosity
- intense in their emotional experience
- sensitive in their perceptions
- broad in their interest and multiple capabilities
- and have a strong creative drive
*Giftedness as a concept is not without its complications. There are many different definitions of it and the discussions between those who support and those who oppose various points of view can get heated. I mainly take a qualitative view from the 2008 dutch Delphi study (Kooijman-van Tiel):
Delphi Model of Giftedness
A gifted person is a quick and clever thinker, able to deal with complex matters. Autonomous, curious and passionate. A sensitive and emotionally rich individual, living intensely. He or she enjoys being creative. (Delphi-model of Giftedness – Kooijman – van Thiel, 2008).
Source: Delphi Model of Giftedness (Kooijman-van Thiel, 2008)
Social-emotional & physical aspects often underexposed
Often, people limit the concept of giftedness purely to cognition, thinking whilst the characteristic aspects and needs of gifted individuals in the social-emotional, physical and / or spiritual field remain strongly underexposed.
Gifted individuals quickly recognise patterns spanning several domains and they easily go to meta levels from which they take a cross-system view. In addition to their richness in thinking, they can also have that in their inner emotional experience, their sensomotoric and imaginational perception and (spiritual) awareness. They do this naturally with ease and with great breadth, width and depth. Gifted individuals have, as it were, a very efficient neurological system.
Qualitatively Different from the Norm
Often gifted individuals do not realize that others do not experience the world in the same “high resolution” that comes naturally to them, which regularly leads to misunderstandings and frustration. Being built in such a different way and at such a distance from most of the population, is sensed acutely, but poorly interpreted, which makes relating to others and yourself uncomfortable, frustrating your interactions both in one’s social and business life.
Do you recognise these dynamics in your professional life? Are you ready to change? Contact me and discover how I can be of service to you, as you create a meaningful life.