Forget everything you think you know about genes, talent, and intelligence. In recent years, a mountain of scientific evidence has emerged suggesting a completely new paradigm: not talent scarcity, but latent talent abundance.
--David Shenk, The Genius in All of Us
I intend to keep printing these reminders because the conventional knowledge, the very opposite of this quote, is so deeply ingrained within our psyches that 95% of the population remains either unaware or unwilling to believe the research.
A part of this rejection of even a mountain of scientific evidence is based upon the very human and very selective exposure in which we all participate. Often, that selective exposure causes us to dismiss as fake the evidence that doesn't jibe with our views.
But dismissing this highly important research is also dismissing huge opportunities for us as workers and as family members. Because the implications of that are that we all--with a lot of hard work--can create a far bigger niche in life than we once thought. Indeed, the research, as Shenk writes, shows us that all of us can have a much more enriching life.
Here's my post, The fuel for genius, which addresses similar issues.