It is the adults, discovering their gift and reviewing their childhood in this specific light, who realize, at the same time, that it often took a lot of courage. Courage to face certain situations and certain periods of their life without being too bruised or, at least, by not letting their wounds hinder their progress.
It was necessary courage to stay true to yourself, without giving in to the temptation of copying your reactions from those of others, simply to avoid being noticed. Their attempts to appear consistent with the image of a child their age did not last long, like an ill-fitting mask that would have to be constantly put back in place. From kindergarten onwards, we must comply with a ready-made instructions, with the naps we must take, the activities we must enjoy and, very quickly, the number of friends we must display. It is then relatively easy to give pledges of conformity, provided, however, that there are possible interlocutors. For a gifted child, it is painful to be the only one who can carry on a normal, sensible conversation.
Then the classes follow one another, similar and monotonous, the gifted child needs courage to endure this tireless starting again, at least that is how he experiences teaching, repetitive to the point of no longer being able to stand it. He conscientiously collects scraps of new information to form a coherent whole, easier to remember.
The courage to forge your own path
In certain circumstances, courage is necessary to be a good student, attentive and often at the head of the class. It is sometimes a dangerous position which exposes one to harmful and destructive feelings such as jealousy, even hatred, and more and more often, their direct consequence: fatal harassment. The gifted child wants to chart his own path : especially if he is the first in his family line to have the possibility, he knows that knowledge is essential, even when it is too superficial; at least they indicate a direction, they open a door which could have remained ignored, all that remains is to follow the path thus initiated to deepen one’s knowledge.
It doesn’t matter if these areas are austere, it’s courage, supported by curiosity of mind, which guides the gifted child, while his comrades are quickly put off by knowledge that is too difficult. Sometimes he wonders what pushes him to seek difficulty: he likes to face it and overcome it instead of complaining about it. Putting himself to the test does not scare him, he prepares carefully without simply relying on luck. Ultimately, it takes courage to continue one’s journey, too often alone, because it is rare to find someone who walks in step, in any situation.
The courage to stay true to yourself
When the opportunity presents itself, we seize it, but from time to time, it is not enough to keep in step, it is better that the direction is the same. Courage then consists of putting an end to this coupling which cannot last long. We can find a childhood friend, but the dismayed teenager discovers that they have each taken a different direction, everything that brought them together has been erased, only the differences remain, negligible at the time, crippling now.
Proud, determined, sometimes appearing original, and above all difficult to understand, but also possessing an indefinable attraction, of which he is not at all aware, the gifted child who remains true to himself becomes an adult who always surprises those around him : it is difficult for him to comply with implicit or explicit injunctions when they do not seem appropriate or justified. When we fight to make a dream of accomplishment come true, we don’t feel particularly courageous, we gather our strengths and act based on them. It is with hindsight, when we revisit in our minds this period when we had to fight, that we wonder where we drew this strength which never deserted: in action, everything seemed natural.
Cultivate your strength of character
The impetus to move forward without giving in to discouragement can begin very young: sometimes, changes of city, country or simply educational establishments with a completely different social environment require an intense effort to adapt. , of which those around them are not necessarily aware: children adapt quickly, it is well known, even when they change civilization, or what seems so to them, because everything is so different.
Strength of character has been exercised, it becomes necessary in certain circumstances of adult life : it happens that the employee of a company is no longer in agreement with the policy of his company, it shocks his conception of work, but he is well paid and his situation is stable. It is simply impossible for him to remain in these conditions. Gifted people have a vital need for consistency and harmony. Staying in a company whose methods you disapprove of is, in fact, impossible, you cannot betray yourself, you would have to agree to split yourself into two people, one who refuses this betrayal without being fooled by the arguments developed by said company , and the other who deep down remains faithful to her conception of life, but who thinks that she has no choice if she wants to continue to lead a “normal” and relatively comfortable existence on the material plane.
Those who can do without this comfort prefer not to betray themselves, they do not even hesitate, the course of action to remain consistent is self-evident, while the consequences can be catastrophic, but it is impossible for them to suggest that they are in agreement with certain decisions, this is no longer even courage, even if such a decision looks like it, it is a fundamental incapacity: quite simply, they cannot seem to endorse through their attitude a policy that offends them, and yet the discomfort that they have then chosen is sometimes very difficult to bear.
Advice : it is good to remain attentive to the reactions of children in society, they are already showing their way of conceiving the route they will choose to trace: we must not confuse rigidity and loyalty to oneself. Too many concessions stifle one’s own personality.