Supporting High Ability People!

Who are these high ability people? 

Couple of weeks back, I attended a webinar where I first heard the term - High Ability People. When I came to know who they are and what problem they face, I was quite surprised as I see many around me in everyday life. 

High ability people are the someone who have unrivaled advantage of either sheer intelligence or specific skills and always acts with high intensity. These are in a way gifted by birth and the usually shoulder the significant impact in breakthroughs. In many ways, they play a big role in setting direction for the world. The world is at where it is (both + and -) now where it is because of them. 

Albeit a tiny percentage of them make a great success in their life and become a top notch leaders in their industry, many such talents are ruined without proper support. I always wondered why the educated, affluent and able people suffer as much as those not have those fortunes. It is quite to rub off this issue as "first-world" problem and not a critical one to solve. In fact, these people exist forever through the world. 

This blog attempts to bring visibility to the common problems highly abled people face and how best as a fellow student, neighbor, friend and colleague we can support them so that they continue to focus on their strength to uplift the world. 

The Cognitive Trap

Due to their well developed mind, the high-achievers are able to process ambiguous, complex problems and understand them in greater depth quickly. Due to this increased awareness, they tend to develop heightened sensitivity towards the issues happening around them. They assume the responsibility and self pressured to use their strengths to solve these problems. They get carried away and feel th weight of the world. However, many of such complex problems lack easily solutions and need intricate navigations with the society. As the realize, they are not in control of everything, they seclude themselves and develop pessimistic approach which in turn kicks in self inflicting thoughts. Overall, this cognitive trap of all or nothing attitude and inability to believe in incremental growth prevents them to reach their true potential. 

How can we support them? 

Recognizing the problem and understanding even larger than life figures need supporting hands at times can bring light of hope in many lives around us. This is especially critical in students as early formative years can set a long lasting direction in their life. 

The support guidance can be broadly classified into following 6 categories. All of them are critical steps to achieve a holistic well being. 

Self Awareness 

Let's make them aware that we do not live in a perfect world and the issues exist forever throughout the world. They do not need to identify with all of the issues. Let them understand are so many things outside of everyone's control. 

Self Regulation 

Once they become aware of their position, try to modify the self inflicting guilty thoughts. De-identifying with the issues can reduce the intensity of their emotions towards it. Then we will be able to look at the practicality and see what we can purposely do towards the solution. Develop growth mindset and believe in incremental improvements. Resist the do all or nothing attitude and don't fall prey to cognitive traps. Try to 

Mental Agility 

Sometimes guilt of not able to change the world, they want can burden them with anger, frustration and annoyance. There is no health without mental health. We need to make sure they get ample nutritions. Additional wellness activities like relaxation, breathing exercises, mindfulness, yoga also can help a lot to help them able to focus on what is in their control. 

Strength of Character 

Help them embrace the strengths of understanding these complex problems and not feel burdened by their perception but appreciate the knowledge as that can make them one step closer to the solution compared to others. As supporters, we need to validate them who they are (genuine authentic self) but no what they do. We can help make a realistic appraisal of their relative strengths. It is okay not to be perfect and many of the hard problems cannot be solved overnight. 

Connection 

They may not be social as they lack opportunity to interact with intellectual peers. The common neighbors or friends might not have such a depth of perception to be able to interact them with equally in many occasions. We can help them find a social interest, possibly volunteering so that they can find a  meaning with social good. It can also help them to develop their interpersonal skills. These attempts can strengthen their social and family connections. 

Optimism

Help them develop macro understanding. Let them not feel obligated or pressured to use their strengths to make world better on their own. Let them not feel the weight of the world. Encourage them to take "not knowing" stance as needed.  It is absolutely okay not to know everything and we just need to be curious to know and things will happen! 

Let's help! 

Seeking support when you need it is excellent first step of building resilience. Lets recognize, celebrate support and enable highly-abled to do best in what they are capable of! The future world will owe immense gratitude to your help! 

Speed vs Quality

 In the showdown between speed and quality whatever prevails shows the DNA of the organization. I can say nothing wrong in whatever wins but organization should realize they get what they are shooting for. 

Why do we use bug and debugging in coding?

 Ever wondered why we call defects in programming as "bugs" and process of removing them as "debugging"?

It goes back earlier days of computing where we used mechanical relays to power the computers

These terms are arguably coined by Admiral Grace Hopper who back in the '40s, was working on a monolithic Harvard Mark II electromechanical computer. According to legend, Hopper found a moth(insect/bug)  stuck in a relay, thus preventing the system from working. Removal of the moth was hence called : debugging.

The Habit enemy - Petty Laziness

Success may mean differently in different contexts for different people. I think, success is a corporate coined term for happiness. True success is when you can ride life gracefully in all situations.

Many times, what powers one's happiness is not the once-in-a-time big life decisions or the events, but rather the culmination of how we handle many small things that happen every single day. 

Most of the biographies of successful people often cover major events, opportunities, struggles, and how they overcome those challenges but usually omits their everyday habits due to the time, space, and mostly unattractive nature of those activities. The truth is, those mundane daily chores are what prepared and pushed them to win the battles.  

You may think you are not lazy just because you are working and are keeping up to average standards of wealth, health, and relationships. You may usually be aware of this, and if not, people around you will point to you quickly if any of these standards fall below the line. 

As these conventional wisdom of life make sure you are not falling below the line, they also become a curse by not allowing you to reach greater heights easily. The band of the average is so wide, and we usually do not understand whether that we are improving or degrading.

We take it for a grant, to procrastinate on many petty things that do not show any symptoms of degradation quickly. 

For example, these are some of the small activities that are proven to bring happiness to everyone irrespective of age or profession.

• Do the damn 7-minute exercise a day. 
• Read or write for at least 15-minute every day.  
• Tidy up the place in about 10 minutes a day. 
• Keep in touch with near ones with a message or a quick phone call. 
• Eat healthy with fresh cooking instead of frozen food. 
• Appreciate being alive every day. 

They altogether can be done in less than an hour in a day, and nobody can claim they cannot spend at least an hour in a day if they wish for long-lasting happiness.

However, many people find themselves not able to do this. In an impact-driven world, these petty habits may not produce results quickly, and at the same time, not doing them also does not punish us much. 

"Petty Laziness" - I call it for all the procrastination we do for things that may not change our life upside down but are essential in drafting our life and lead to the stepping stone of our habit-building and success. 

With a little bit of practice, we can identify petty laziness easily. 

Just ask yourself, following questions whenever you try to delay/skip doing things 

1. Is it making you uncomfortable to do the activity? 
2. Are you trying to give a lot of reasons for not doing it? 
3. Will you forget the alternative actions, that you are undertaking within a day or two? 

If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, you may be at the mercy of "petty laziness". 

Identifying this trait is more than half of the battle. Improving this awareness will elevate you to build strong habits. 

"Start where you are, use what you have, and do what you can!" 

                                               - Arthur Ashe - American Tennis Player. 

Climbing from average to great is usually a slow process as it requires tweaking your efficiency step by step. It involves doing mundane things repeatedly, meticulously without expecting an adrenaline push or quick gratifications.

Let 2022 be our step forward in building our habits, breaking one limitation (petty laziness) at a time. 

Wishing you all a very happy new year!