Today, Aliénor Rouffet shares her vision of giftedness through the Gifted Interview. Thank you, Aliénor! She is the Founder of “La Part Des Anges” Consulting (information and communication strategies), trainer, speaker, and ex-journalist. She lives in Paris, France.
.IF I COULD CHOOSE, WOULD I STILL BE GIFTED?
With some ifs, I would choose to be a bird and I would visit all the countries of the world…
.WHAT (MY OWN) GIFTEDNESS MEANS TO ME
It’s riding a small bike that never stops its journey. Often, when I look like I’m not there, my friends and family say to me “That’s it, you’re back on your little bike…”. So in a way, to be gifted is to have your brain, body, and heart in permanent turmoil.
.IF I HAD TO CHOOSE AN IMAGE OR A KEYWORD THAT SUMS UP WHAT GIFTEDNESS MEANS
The image would be “fireworks”. It is the power of emotions. There is movement, organised chaos, colours, sound and notes, the dazzling of the senses.
The keyword would be “permanence”. It is the strength of the mind. Because it never stops. The bicycle continues its journey all the time. It rolls, rolls, rolls. Between the fireworks and the bike, everything works: the brain, the body and the heart.
.HOW LONG HAVE I KNOWN ABOUT IT?
For about 4 years. It was Fabrice Micheau, whom I met at a conference, who set me on the right path. He has been of great finesse and delicacy towards me. He indicated to me a person for the WAIS and to continue my path on this subject. Since then, we remain connected, we see each other in his circle “Les Coloriés” (an international network open to atypical people, tested or not), we work together from time to time. In short, I owe him a lot on the subject. He’s a beautiful person. 😊
.WHAT PHASES HAVE I GONE THROUGH SINCE MY DISCOVERY?
Disbelief first. The amused denial, “If I was gifted, it would have been known by now”. Then I made a review of my personal and professional life with a new light and the understanding of many things in my behaviour, my relationship with others, my dadas, my questionings, my needs, my irritants, my blows ….How do I explain it to someone who has never heard of it?
.HOW DO I EXPLAIN IT TO SOMEONE WHO HAS NEVER HEARD OF IT?
I say with a big smile “That’s why I’m a pain in the ass”.
.THE REMARK WHICH BLEW ME AWAY MOST WHEN I TALKED ABOUT IT
“Ah, you’re gifted, are you? It doesn’t show up! “A former colleague…
.HOW IT CHANGED MY LIFE (TO KNOW IT)
It didn’t really change my life but it helped me understand a lot of things about the way I function, about some of my reactions and emotions. It also helped me to regain my self-confidence and to understand why I was often told I was “too much or too little”. So finally, I take more responsibility for myself, for my own responsibility, for the misunderstandings of others about me. Decoding ourselves allows us to be more aligned with ourselves and with others.
.WHAT I HAVE ALLOWED MYSELF
Observe my own mechanisms and correct the trajectory when necessary. To better adapt according to people, environments, and situations. To dare too. To dare to speak again and not try to fit into the mold at all costs because it makes no sense in the end. There is a multitude of molds and we don’t all have to fit into the same one. On the contrary! Diversity is the key to human richness and collaboration.
.WHAT IT CREATES TO OTHERS WHEN I TALK ABOUT IT
I don’t really talk about it. It’s not a subject anymore. It’s a good indication of how it works for me. These are my keys.
.WHAT IRRITATES ME WITH GIFTEDNESS
The connection between giftedness and those who know everything about everything. The community sometimes lacks humility.
.WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO EMPHASIZE ABOUT GIFTEDNESS
The emotional part helps to bind and connect people through this deep empathy.
And this permanent analysis (the “little bike”), allows one to be interested in a multitude of subjects, to understand them, to learn, and to do 360°, by linking and connecting the subjects.
.WHAT I PERSONALLY FIND TO BE THE MOST DIFFICULT
Be consistent in your emotions and interests. Not being 200% all the time and for everything. Not to go from everything to nothing. It’s tiring 😊
.WHAT I PERSONALLY LOVE
Dark chocolate
.MY WELLBEING TOOL OR PRACTICE THAT HELPS ME MOST
I have been doing a lot of sports since I was 12 years old. I grew up on the edge of a forest and I used to go running very often, alone. It soothed me a lot and allowed me to find sleep. A good way to make the little bike stop… So I’ve been doing sports for a long time, I’ve tested a lot of them. The ones I still keep, running and swimming. The disconnecting and calming effect is still as effective as ever.
.WHAT I WANT TO SAY TO GIFTED PEOPLE
Keep cool and enjoy every day
.WHAT I WANT TO SAY TO PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT CONCERNED
That we all have immense potential, active or dormant, no matter what box it is stored in or what stamp is put on it. I don’t believe that the stamp of an IQ number determines a person’s potential.
.WHAT I WOULD RECOMMEND TO SOMEONE WHO IS WONDERING
Read different publications, which give a broad view of the subject. Multiply the sounds of the bell, confront readings and testimonies with your own way of being or feeling. Listen to yourself. And see if it is necessary to do the WAIS or not. It is not necessarily useful. It depends on the people and their needs.
.THE MISTAKE NOT TO MAKE FOR A GIFTED PERSON
Thinking you are above others.
.MY PROFESSIONAL ADVICE FOR GIFTED
Find the work environment that allows you to exploit your personality and potential. A framework, a way of working, a relationship in which you feel in tune and serene. Do not put too much pressure on yourself, do not be too demanding with yourself and others.
.MY PERSONAL ADVICE FOR GIFTED
Explain your own operating system, bring the decoder. This is sometimes necessary so that one can function while respecting the rhythm and emotions of all.
.MY OPINION ABOUT THE IQ WAIS TEST
Nothing more to say than all that has been said: a useful tool but a tool with limits. The Wais measures only a small part of “intelligence”.
.IS IT A WASTE NOT TO KNOW THAT YOU ARE GIFTED?
Not at all. The only waste of a life is to miss out your own life.
.THE LAST THING I LEARNED ON THE SUBJECT (THAT I’D LIKE TO SHARE)
Some people feel good and perform well in the “chaos” 😊
