Paul Brian
Not all geniuses make it onto the front page.
There are plenty of concealed geniuses out there who prefer not to seek attention and praise.
Are you one of them?
1) You solve problems swiftly and quietly
One of the top signs you’re a concealed genius is that you solve problems swiftly and quietly.
Whether it’s an issue at work, a massive computer breakdown, or a problem with your irrigation system in the front lawn, you have an instinctive knack for fixing whatever is going wrong.
Without anyone teaching you, you are able to visualize the entire problem in your mind and address and fix it in real and rapid ways.
This often goes unrecognized or ends up being passed off as beginner’s luck.
The truth? You’re a damn genius.
And that’s not just me patronizing you.
2) You have incredible insights that you keep private
Geniuses are people who see life in innovative and brilliant ways.
They come up with breakthroughs in art, science and many other fields that end up changing history.
One of the top signs you’re a concealed genius is that you end up having many incredible insights but you keep them private.
It’s not only that you don’t want the recognition and praise.
It’s also that you aren’t really sure how important some of your breakthroughs might actually be.
The truth is that they may often be much greater than you realize.
Unlike the major foundation and corporate money being thrown at official geniuses, you’re there in the background sitting in your study and thinking of a new model for language but getting zero recognition.
But that doesn’t mean you’re not a genius.
3) You are doing activist work that makes a big difference
Whether it’s the environment or issues around your local city’s corruption and cleaning up problems at city council, you’re an activist who makes a difference.
One of the marks of genius is being able to bring great ideas down to earth and make them practical.
That’s why activism is key to highlight here.
There’s a lot of talk out there about grand principles and ethics and justice.
But what about bringing it down to earth and stopping environmental destruction, reforesting clear cut areas, or exposing corruption at the local level?
If you’re doing that, you’re doing God’s work, make no mistake about it.
4) You ponder life’s big questions on your own
The next of the signs you’re a concealed genius is that you ponder life’s big questions on your own.
Whereas a brilliant professor may hold a symposium or write a book and get massive publicity, you’re just sitting in the cafe or at your kitchen window pondering huge things.
You may be journaling or writing in some way, but you’re not trying to figure out what life and love are all about for fame or recognition.
You’re doing it because you’re attracted to dilemmas and questions that have no easy answer.
You ponder life’s big questions on your own and have various brilliant breakthroughs, even if others may not have heard about it.
That sounds like very definite genius territory to me.
5) You are on a spiritual path that few understand
Another of the really key signs you’re a concealed genius is that you are on a spiritual or religious path that few others may understand.
Whether or not you fit into the mainstream, you have your own relationship with the spirit world, gods, God or what you have found to be true.
You may find it hard to condense down and “summarize” your spiritual journey for others because it is deeply personal but also full of paradoxes, evolutions and struggles.
You’re not on a linear journey to “enlightenment” or perfection.
It’s more like you’re on a messy journey that you can’t always determine the purpose of, but you know that it’s leading somewhere.
You’re learning how to achieve your goals and dreams without depending on them for happiness.
Sometimes it’s hard to explain the road you’re on, because it’s fully your own.
6) You create art and works that touch people deeply
The next of the large signs you’re a concealed genius is that you make art and creative works that have the power to deeply touch people.
We can see this happen many times in history, for example with the life of iconic artist Vincent Van Gogh.
Never very well known in his life, van Gogh’s genius was only really recognized and celebrated after death.
Now people around the world marvel at his ability to evoke emotions and spiritual experience in nature and millionaires pay massive sums for even the smallest of his works.
Van Gogh was a concealed genius for most of his life. He made art that changed lives, even though he never got much recognition for it while he was still alive.
7) You are changing lives and systems but not taking credit
One of the top signs you’re a concealed genius is that you are changing lives and making real advances to systems but you’re not taking credit.
For example, maybe you are innovating the way public transit works or vastly improving fuel cell technology.
Maybe you’re making breakthroughs in social psychology or sexual health. Maybe you’re behind the scenes rethinking how to protect nature or how to keep marriages alive.
You’re not on the nightly news and your name isn’t on publications. Even your own work colleagues may only be partly aware of the scope of the work you’re doing.
You don’t want the credit, but you are making serious changes that influence and affect many people because of the power and transformational scope of your ideas.
What is a ‘genius’ anyway?
The word genius comes from the Latin word “gignō” which means what comes forth or your inborn nature.
A genius is more than just a smart person.
A genius is somebody who breaks barriers.
A genius is somebody who discovers new horizons.
A genius is somebody who thinks differently, not just better.
Are you a concealed genius? Take a look at the signs above and decide for yourself.
