“Overgifted Underachievers”
Are You a Rainbow Person??
A man can do all things if he will. — Leon Battista Alberti
The term “Rainbow people” has been coined for those of us with so many interests or talents that we can’t decide what to do when we grow up. (When God was handing out colors of the rainbow, they say, we asked for all of them.) Margaret Lobenstine calls such people Renaissance Souls, and Barbara Sher has written Refuse to Choose with us “scanners” in mind.
If you resonate, you probably know how painful this “too much of a good thing” can be. I call it the “overgifted underachiever” syndrome or “ creative ADD.
As a Rainbow person myself, I can definitely empathize. I can also help you with my Coaching Programs. (For my own Rainbow credentials, see About Tomar.)
If you are a Rainbow person, I hope you revel in your abundance of gifts. They are yours to enjoy and to express.
However, some focus is also needed, and can be found by prioritizing – yes, it’s possible.
Rainbow Career Styles
There are different approaches to the career question. For instance, do you want:
• one umbrella career that encompasses many of your gifts (e.g. a life coach who offers meditation and art among her services)?
• several part-time jobs (a yoga teacher/Reiki practitioner who also makes and sells jewelry)?
• a job/hobby combination (a therapist who spends one day a week in her art studio)?
• one thing to focus on now while you put your other big love on the back burner for later (the lawyer who later opens a restaurant)?
This dilemma may be perplexing,, but it can be solved. Clarity and fulfillment are possible for Rainbow people – I know, for I came up with an “umbrella career” and it’s made all the difference!
Rainbow People and Late Bloomers
Rainbow people are often Late Bloomers.
There are several reasons for this:
- Rainbow people experience conflicting pulls that often delay their progress.
- With multiple gifts, it can take years of maturation before you can synthesize them into one original form of expression.
- Rainbow people have fewer role models than those on more conventional life paths, and often wind up forging a path unique to them – which takes longer.
- Rainbow people get lots of negative messages that they must overcome before they can find the clarity and courage to be who they truly are.
However, there are many examples of successful and famous Rainbow people who have made enormous contributions for which the world is forever grateful. (Benjamin Franklin leaps to mind, and Leonardo da Vinci, the quintessential Renaissance Man.)
More important, a Rainbow person who follows his or her inner guidance can be the most creative and joyful of beings, setting an example for others to have the courage to persevere and find the expression of their uniqueness.
Do you know how your uniqueness will express itself?
Join me in one of my Coaching Groups and liberate your unique expression of your gifts.
