Personal talent curation in the lifetime realization of gifted potential: The role of adaptive intelligence

Abstract

This article introduces the construct of personal talent curation. Personal talent curation is one’s assessment of one’s talents—of one’s strengths and weaknesses—but also the building of an adaptive match in life between those talents and both one’s career pursuits and one’s personal lifestyle. Sometimes, this match means pursuing a lifelong passion, but other times, it means giving up that passion or transforming it into a passion that works in the broader context of the life one seeks for oneself. For example, one may be an exceptionally talented musician, scientist, or artist, but the concomitants of a life building relentlessly on those talents—competition, professional jealousy, and continual critiques—just do not fit the kind of life one wishes to lead. In such cases, it may turn out that what in a profession or in society is viewed as a “failure” or a “derailment” may represent a personal adaptive success.