Yes, You Are a Genius
By Ben Miles
You are a genius! That’s the premise of Susanna Lange and Otto Siegel’s recent book that is titled, appropriately enough, Yes, You Are a Genius, Whether You Know It or Not. If you’ve any doubt about this declaration, or even if you don’t, it’s worth the time it takes to explore the authors’ contention.
In a taut and easy-to-read 122 pages (including a support-oriented afterward and a helpful four-page list of suggested readings), Lange and Siegel have partitioned their treatise into eleven brief but comprehensive chapters. With chapter headings such as “You Are a Natural Genius,” “Re-connect to Your Natural Genius,” and “Stop De-Genius-izing Yourself,” Yes, You Are a Genius takes a step-by-step approach to demythologizing the phenomenon we’ve come to recognize as genius.
Lange and Siegel assert that “genius isn’t just found in the Mozarts and Einsteins of the world.” They offer as their initial evidence Einstein’s oft-stated belief: “There is genius in everyone.” The claim seems, at first glance, to defy intuition. After all, we are accustomed to understanding genius as a rare state of mind. But Lange and Siegel make a strong case for their argument. They pose three questions to the reader: What is my unique set of genius abilities? Which environment brings them out? How and where can I intentionally leverage them? If you don’t know the answers to this trio of brain-tickling queries, the Genius writers suggest that “your genius is still dormant.”
In deconstructing and reframing terminology such as desire, passion, and love, Genius becomes an uplifting lesson in the how-tos of learning and living, offering a clarifying and systematic approach to self-enhancement. Lange and Siegel are also generous in the litany of proffered resources. For instance, at the Genius Web site, geniuscoaching.net, readers may download audio files on body meditation, the creative visualization process, and a “free genius training” program.
To paraphrase a wise old axiom, genius is a terrible thing to waste. Studying Yes, You Are a Genius may serve to minimize such waste. At the very least, Genius is certain to stimulate the reader’s thinking while providing rich insight and valuable guidance.