"You're so weird."
How many times did you hear that growing up?
Maybe not those exact words, but the message was clear: Something about you didn't quite fit.
You asked too many questions. You noticed things others didn't. You got excited about ideas while your peers got excited about... well, things that bored you to tears.
Here's what nobody told you: You might be gifted.
Wait, but I was never "identified"...
Neither were millions of others.
Giftedness isn't just the kid who skipped grades or won math competitions. Most gifted people slip through the cracks because they:
→ Were good students but not the best student
→ Daydreamed their way through "easy" classes
→ Asked questions teachers couldn't answer
→ Were more interested in why than what
→ Got labeled as "too sensitive" or "difficult"
→ Learned to hide their intensity to fit in
Sound familiar?
The signs nobody talks about:
As a kid, you probably:
Felt like you were from another planet
Had imaginary friends with complex backstories
Asked "but why?" until adults got frustrated
Could focus for hours on what interested you, but not at all on what didn't
Felt different but couldn't explain how
As an adult, you might:
Feel overstimulated in busy environments
See solutions others miss, then struggle to explain your thinking
Get bored easily in meetings or conversations
Feel like you're "too much" for most people
Have intense reactions to injustice or suffering
Switch between topics that seem unrelated (but make perfect sense to you)
The social feedback that shaped you:
"You think too much." "You're too intense." "Why can't you just be normal?" "You're so dramatic." "You take everything so seriously." "Why do you always have to complicate things?"
Plot twist: These weren't character flaws. They were signs of a mind that processes the world differently.
Here's what giftedness actually looks like:
Intellectual: You see patterns and connections others miss. You think in systems, not steps. Academics may have come very easy, or you may have been so bored you struggled to care enough to do well.
Creative: You generate ideas constantly and see possibilities everywhere (sometimes to your own overwhelm). You struggle to follow directions others set, because you become self-driven so readily.
Emotional: You feel everything more intensely—joy, injustice, beauty, pain. It's not "too much," it's how you're wired.
Sensory: Loud restaurants feel overwhelming. Certain fabrics are unbearable. You notice subtleties others miss. You may crave input and find it wildly unwelcome at the same time.
Intuitive: You "just know" things without being able to explain how. Your gut is rarely wrong. You can follow your own directions in strange places.
The cost of not knowing:
When you don't understand your own wiring, you:
→ Try to fix what isn't broken
→ Dim your intensity to fit in
→ Feel guilty (or at least awkward) for being "different"
→ Waste energy trying to be someone you're not
→ Stifle yourself constantly and lament that you never feel “seen”
→ Miss opportunities that match your actual strengths
But when you understand you're gifted?
Everything shifts. Your "weirdness" becomes your superpower. Your intensity becomes your gift. Your complexity becomes your competitive advantage.
Still not sure?
Ask yourself:
Do you see connections others miss?
Are you motivated by meaning more than money?
Do you feel things more deeply than most people seem to?
Have you always felt like you don't quite fit anywhere?
Do people call you "intense" or "too much"?
Are you energized by complex ideas and drained by small talk?
If you're nodding, you're probably gifted.
And if you're thinking "but I can't be gifted because [insert reason]"—that's exactly what a gifted person would think. Giftedness, for all the not-so-great PR it gets when we talk about it, is a neurological and social phenomenon. Of course it is. It’s not just a high opinion of oneself. In fact, gifted people bring some of the worst examples of impostor syndrome, analysis paralysis, and similar patterns that get in the way of self-esteem (and confidence in their own abilities, and selling themselves in their work).
Your next step:
Understanding your giftedness isn't about joining some exclusive club. It's about finally making sense of yourself.
It's about stopping the exhausting work of trying to be someone you're not.
It's about recognizing that your "weird" is actually wonderful.
Ready to explore this? I've created a quiz that helps you identify your specific type of giftedness (link in the comments)
Because you deserve to understand the mind you've been living with all these years.
Your intensity isn't a bug. It's a feature.
#Gifted #Neurodivergent #PersonalDevelopment #SelfAwareness #IntenselyAlive
