Gifted people often face unique challenges in their career paths. Many are not sure what they want to do with their lives. They are also more likely to change careers several times. Highly gifted individuals often have high expectations and can be perfectionists, leading to difficulty finding a work environment that meets their expectations. It can also be difficult for them to connect with most people.
1. They find it difficult to commit to a career
As a multi-talented and passionate person, you may find it difficult to decide on just one career path. Gifted people can often work well in many different fields. This can be both a blessing and a curse. For example, you might find that you are good at science, but you also like to write. Or you might be great at math but also love art. The downside of being multi-talented is that it can be hard to commit to one career.
Also, intellectually gifted people are often pushed into stereotypical career fields at a young age, such as medicine, engineering, law or research. These may not be fulfilling for you.
Because of the unconscious guilt of being different, you may also feel that you need to conform to society’s expectations and not stand out too much. This may lead you to choose a career similar to others instead of following your passion.
2. Emotional Intensity and misunderstandings
When a child is identified as a prodigy at an early age, those around them may focus entirely on developing that one talent. This comes at the expense of other aspects of their development, such as the ability to regulate emotions. One-sided development is especially a problem when a gifted person has not yet developed the skills to control his emotional Intensity and overexcitability.
Others may expect you to be more mature than you are. They may pathologize your passionate quality and natural Intensity as immaturity or malice. This can lead to social isolation and lack of success, both as a youth and as an adult.
3. Operating faster than most
Highly gifted people often find it difficult to connect with others. They absorb information more quickly. They may feel that they are constantly going against the grain, trying to explain things that are obvious to them but confusing to others. For example, maybe the other participants in a meeting are still discussing, and you have already drifted to the next idea that’s on your mind. The problem is that your colleagues interpret your body language as a lack of interest, lack of concentration, and inability to work as a team.
4. Boredom and the feeling of being trapped.
Highly gifted people usually cannot thrive in a monotonous environment and need stimulation to be productive. Managers would probably not recognize that you prefer to work at your own pace and need space to think about concepts and new ideas. You need a high degree of autonomy to thrive. However, most office environments do not work that way. Without a supportive environment, you may experience self-doubt and dissonance.
5. Loneliness
Your lack of interest in engaging in small conversations may cause your colleagues to perceive you as an “outlier.” In addition, gifted people often have a firm moral compass. The desire to always do the “right thing” can put you at odds with colleagues and superiors. Your unique qualities can lead to feelings of isolation and loneliness, especially if you do not have a support system from peers.
6. Being seen as a threat to authority.
A gifted person has the ability to see things differently. However, their ideas may intimidate managers who are unsure or not open to suggestions.
You probably respond well to logic and would find instructions that do not make sense to you challenging. However, if you are not convinced, your analytical mind kicks into high gear, and when you present your argument, your manager may see it as a threat to their authority.
7. Attracting envy
Because you process thoughts faster than most, you communicate with a power that few can comprehend. But this also makes you a target for bullies and critics who can not understand why you can not just “put your head down and fall in line.”
Although you have the emotional and intellectual acumen for a higher position in the organization, others may prefer a more conventionally competent person. You may be considered scattered, unpredictable, disruptive, and someone who functions better as an individual than as part of a team.
In such a scenario, your prospects for promotion may be diminished.
8. Perfectionism and fear of failure
Studies have shown that gifted people are more likely to suffer from fear of failure than their non-gifted peers. This fear can lead to a condition known as imposter syndrome. In this, you doubt your own abilities and feel like you are constantly pretending to be something you are not. The fear of failure can be debilitating and lead to low self-esteem and poor performance. Gifted people who feel they cannot live up to others’ expectations may avoid challenging tasks or give up activities they once loved.
9. Prone to burnout
Because of your empathy and emotional sensitivity, you are better able to empathize with other people’s feelings and find it unbearable to witness injustice and bullying. But your deep empathy also makes you more sensitive to disharmony in a professional environment and can eventually lead to emotional burnout.
Sometimes you are so obsessed with doing everything right that you can not stop working for hours on end, which can eventually lead to burnout.
Thrive as who you are
Many talented people choose the entrepreneurship path to suit their work style and needs. But it may not be for everyone. In fact, it’s not essential that you have your own business, as long as you can enjoy a certain level of autonomy, exercise your creativity, and make a difference in everything you do.
Even if you can not make a drastic change now, you can learn to make the most of working in a traditional office. Your emotional sensitivity to “unspoken” facts and other people’s feelings gives you a unique perspective. Your highly analytical mind and intellectual curiosity mean you see trends before others do. You can use these insights to connect more deeply with your colleagues, clients and team members.
If you feel unhappy in your current role, consider what would be more ideal for you. For example, when have you been in “flow”? In what environment do you feel most energized and engaged? What would an ideal day look like if it were up to you? When in your life have you felt more fulfilled and satisfied?
Even if it’s just a small step, you can begin to incorporate elements into your life that feel more congruent to you. Focus as much as you can on the direction you want to take your career, and focus on what you can control.
A growing sense of self and awareness provide the foundation for deep acceptance. The more you can accept who you really are, the more you will be able to make the most of your attributes and avoid the common loopholes.
While your path may not be an obvious, well-trodden one, it is entirely possible that you will find an environment in which you can thrive.
