The Simple Sign That You're Not Just Talented, You're A Genius
There are many different kind of intelligence, yet one unique way of being a genius.
George Milton / Pexels Understanding philosophy can be an intellectually challenging endeavor, yet one man has made it his mission to make it more accessible to the masses.
Julien de Medeiros takes phrases from noted philosophers and breaks down the meaning behind them. He recently tackled the philosopher Schopenhauer's rule for determining genius, as opposed to talent.
There’s one simple sign that you’re not just talented, you’re actually a genius.
Schopenhauer’s famous quote dives into the difference between genius and talent, noting that “Talent hits a target no one else can hit. Genius hits a target no one else can see.”
While being talented and intelligent means you work hard and think deeply, being a genius means you're consistently imagining new versions of the world and inventing ideas that don't yet exist.
According to de Medeiros’ interpretation, “Talent is really good at outcompeting others; for example, if you’re talented at something, you can do something with ease that other people would find difficult.”
Photo: Anna Shvets / Pexels
Yet genius takes a different form, as it “has nothing to do with besting other people at something they’ve already established as being important. Instead, genius is about being so good at something that you’re ahead of your time. Other people don’t know yet that what you’re doing is important or valuable.”
A talented person works in what already exists, but a genius imagines a future that’s better for everyone, imagining a new world into being.
“The talented person is the one who is recognized for their skill,” de Medeiros said. “The genius is the one who is doing something no one else can yet conceive of doing.”
Having a strong and vivid imagination plays into someone’s level of genius, as being imaginative allows people to think of things that don’t yet exist, creations that have yet come to light.
Schopenhauer spoke of talent and genius in a variety of ways, rooted in the idea of geniuses as visionary people.
He believed that “the man of genius requires imagination, in order to see in things not what nature has actually formed, but what she endeavored to form, yet did not bring about, because of the conflict of her forms with one another.”
While his statement seems vague, the underlying meaning is clear: A person needs to utilize their imagination in order to invent and reinvent different ways of existing in the world at large.
Photo: RF ._. studio / Pexels
According to a report from Healthline, genius and intelligence take different forms, such as social, emotional and relational intelligence, logical intelligence, and linguistic intelligence.
Genius can show up in not-so-typical ways, including having high levels of empathy and creativity. Being a genius also manifests in being continuously curious and wanting to expand one’s basis of knowledge. In other words, geniuses acknowledge that they don’t know everything, but they strive to learn everything they can.
If you find yourself considering inventive solutions to whatever problems you may be faced with, and you're always searching to discover new ways of doing things, you just might be beyond talented. You might be a true genius.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers social issues, pop culture analysis, and all things to do with the entertainment industry