“A person of talent hits a target that no one else can hit; a person of genius hits a target that no one else can see. A talented person deals skillfully with the immediately evident world. A genius, however, sees what is hidden from the rest of us.”
I’m Mark Martin with "Martin’s Must Reads" and Craig Wright in a fascinating book The Hidden Habits of Genius: Beyond Talent, IQ, and Grit—Unlocking the Secrets of Greatness discusses the hard to define characteristics, personality, work ethic and curiosity that differentiates the ordinary from the genius.
Individuals such as Davinci, Mark Zuckerburg, and Steve Jobs are examined to show the difference between talent and genius. For example, YoYo Ma is incredibly talented but no genius. He has redefined playing music. Mozart was a genius. He redefined music.
Examining the life of a genius, we are presented with questions. Is a genius a product of genetics or environment and upbringing? Is genius luck and inspiration or hard work and discipline? Why have so many geniuses miserably failed somewhere in their lives?
Genius has its upside. Through their hard work and creativity a genius will make the world better I.e. Mozart, Marie Curie and Shakespeare. But the genius isn’t always universally beloved. Galileo was labeled a heretic by the church, Ghandi was imprisoned, Ernest Hemmingway and Steve Jobs have been called monsters. As Mr Wright says “Almost no one loves the genius until he or she is dead.”
The Hidden Habits of Genius by Craig Wright won’t make anyone a genius. It will give you an insight into the lives of people who have made a significant and lasting impact on our world and in the process just might stimulate your thinking.
