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Although I was terrible at math, I really had a passion and a talent for writing and conveying stories to other people. I loved the story books that my mother would read to me and the audio books that she would play in the car for me. Even my teachers complimented me on how creative my stories and writing assignments were. This passion for communicating through the written word became my Core Genius.

So the point of my story is that in some areas of intelligence, I’m admittedly a complete and utter idiot, but in other areas of intelligence, I have no problem saying that I’m better than most people out there. I believe that all of us possess a certain core genius that is special and unique to each of us. The key to success is to find out what your core genius is and focus the bulk of your energy on trying to maximize that genius ability to move yourself towards your life goals faster than you ever thought was possible.

If it were true that all the smartest people in the classroom are more successful than those who were never able to score high on academic exams, then how does that explain the fact that most of the people who never excelled in school, or in many cases were dropouts, became the most successful and wealthy people alive in the world today? It’s because traditionally-defined intelligence has only focused on logical-mathematical intelligence and disregarded all the other areas of intelligence that exist. It’s unfortunate that the logical-mathematical type of intelligence is the predominate form of intelligence used to rate students today in educational institutions. There are in fact seven distinct types of intelligence according to Harvard psychologist Dr. Howard Gardner who published his theory on multiple intelligences in 1983.

I believe that everyone is a genius at some thing. They excel in one particular area far beyond the other areas they study and their level of proficiency is at the top 3% of everyone else in the world. The problem is that we are traditionally taught that unless we can perform complex mathematical equations at lighting fast speed or learn how to play Chopin on the piano at five years old, that we do not possess any level of genius at all. Society typically judges a person’s level of intelligence by their logical-mathematical proficiencies and disregards everything else. I’m here to say that everyone is a genius at something unique and special. It’s just a matter of discovering what your core genius truly is. This article will help you focus in on your core genius by outlines the seven areas of intelligence as defined by Dr. Howard Gardner.

Logical Intelligence (Number/Reasoning Smarts)

Logical intelligence is having the ability to calculate and quantify as well as complete mathematical operations with ease and precision. It makes use of inductive and deductive reasoning patterns. This type of intelligence is well developed in mathematicians, scientists, and detectives. These types of people are interested in patterns, categories, and relationships. They have a love of arithmetic problems, strategy games such as chess, and conducting methodical experiments.

You Might Be Logically Intelligent if you’re good at:

Examples of Logically Intelligent People
• Math teachers / professors
• Computer programmers
• Engineers
• Chemists
• Detectives
• Scientists

Musical Intelligence (Musical Smarts)

Musical intelligence is the keen ability to discern pitch, rhythm, and tone. This type of intelligence allows musically intelligent people to recognize and reproduce music that is presented to them. Logical-mathematical thinkers and musical thinkers often share common thought processes. Musically intelligent people can often express passionate emotion through the use of music.

You Might Be Musically Intelligent if you’re good at:
• Karaoke
• Playing a musical instrument
• Identifying the differences between similar sounds
• Reproducing sounds and tunes

Examples of Musically Intelligent People
• Musicians
• Vocalists
• Composers
• Conductors
• Sound specialists

Interpersonal Intelligence (Street Smarts)

Interpersonal intelligence is having the ability to read and communicate well with other people. It involves both verbal and nonverbal communication. It involves being keenly sensitive to the moods and emotions of others. Teachers, social workers, actors, and politicians all possess high interpersonal intelligence.

You Might Be Interpersonally Intelligent if you’re good at:
• Reading people
• Making friends
• Communicating with others
• Understanding other peoples’ motives
• Empathizing with others
• Flirting/Seducing members of the opposite sex

Examples of Interpersonally Intelligent People
• Teachers
• Social workers
• Actors
• Politicians
• Psychologists
• Natural leaders

Intrapersonal Intelligence (Self Smarts)

This type of intelligence is having the capacity of knowing one’s own inner thoughts and feelings. It not only involves the appreciation of the self, but also of the human condition. Intrapersonally intelligent people have very good control of their emotions and tend to be shy and reserved towards others when they are young.

You Might Be Intrapersonally Intelligent if you’re good at:
• Knowing and accepting how you feel
• Listening to yourself
• Understanding the nature of your emotions
• Planning your life direction
• Motivating yourself

Examples of Intrapersonally Intelligent People
• Psychologists
• Spiritual leaders
• Philosophers

Kinesthetic Intelligence (Body Smarts)

This is the ability to use a variety of physical skills and being able to manipulate physical objects with proficiency. This type of intelligence requires a great harmony between the mind and the body. This includes hand-eye coordination and athleticism. Kinesthetically intelligent people are very proficient at communicating through body movement.

You Might Be Kinesthetically Intelligent if you’re good at:
• Playing sports
• Catching thrown objects
• Falling without injury
• Dancing
• Hand-eye coordination activities
• Anything involving quick reflexes

Examples of Kinesthetically Intelligent People
• Athletes
• Dancers
• Mechanics
• Craftsmen
• Soldiers

Linguistic Intelligence (Word Smarts)

This is having the ability to use words and language to articulate complex meanings and convey emotions. This form of intelligence is the most widely shared of human competencies. Prolific writers and speakers have the ability to move people and change emotions with their written or spoken words.

You Might Be Linguistically Intelligent if you’re Good at:
• Writing
• Reading
• Telling stories
• Doing crossword puzzles

Examples of Linguistically Intelligent People
• Journalists
• Novelists
• Public Speakers
• Consultants
• Coaches
• Poets

Spatial Intelligence (Picture Smarts)

This is having the ability to think in three dimensions. It involves being able to visualize things beyond the surface and think in relation to height, width, and depth as well. A sculptor who is given a block of stone has the ability to see the human figure from that block of stone before it is carved. An architect has the ability to see the building from a vacant piece of land before it’s constructed.

You Might Be Spatially Intelligent if you’re Good at:
• Sculpting
• Painting
• Drawing
• Putting together jigsaw puzzles
• Navigation

Examples of Spatially Intelligent People
• Sailors
• Pilots
• Sculptors
• Painters
• Architects

Apply the 80/20 Rule

The 80/20 rule, also known as Pareto’s Principle, states that 80 percent of our results are derived from only 20 percent of our actions. Taking this rule into account with respect to success, it makes sense to focus all our time, effort and energy into maximizing our core genius because by doing so, we can leverage our natural gifts to get the maximum amount of reward for the effort that we put out.