In Wayne Dyer's bestselling book, Your Erroneous Zones, he relates the famous experiment in which children were each given numbers that they were told were their IQ scores. They ended up performing at the level of the numbers that were assigned to them. Unfortunately, the numbers were not their IQ scores, but their locker numbers!
Very often, a child will perform at the level he or she is expected to...based on the classification of an "expert" such as a teacher. When you are told you are not good at something, or convince yourself that you aren't, this is usually a self-fulfilling prophecy. It is tragic that some students did not pursue a particular major in college and/or career (even though it was something that they loved and were interested in) because a teacher told them that they had no talent, or would never make it. Some students have even pursued a career that they would not have chosen had a teacher not encouraged them to...because the world "needed" more people in that particular field.
How can students better identify their "calling?" What can be done to help assure that they will pursue what they love even in the face of negative feedback? Why is labeling someone solely on their IQ scores inadequate in predicting future performance, success, and happiness? Why are things such as mechanical aptitude, creativity, artistic ability, "people" skills, emotional intelligence, common sense, and intuition not included in IQ tests? Why have highly successful people often NOT had the highest IQ's?
What is talent, and how can it be increased? Why have people with less talent often out-performed people with greater talent? What is more important, talent or hard work?
These, as well as other topics are addressed.
