​Most of us think genius is unachievable. We perceive it as a gift we are either born with or not. If not, then we are supposed to be content to look with awe upon those who have the gift, as if they were from some other planet.
 
Most certainly there are those who are born with special talents. Some, from infancy, have remarkable skills in language, math, music, and memory. The source of these precocious skills is a mystery. It is difficult to believe that it is the result of some random mutation, recombination of genetic material, or atavistic quirk. Evidence shows that it is something else entirely, but I will leave that to discuss in Solving The Big Questions.
 
Be that as it may, these odd forms of genius are not what seem to drive the world forward. Few leaders, entrepreneurs, and movers and shakers now considered to be geniuses were child prodigies. In fact, many were considered slow, distracted, average, misbehaving, and possessing poor attention skills in school.
 
What makes these slow-comers geniuses? Work. Lots of it laced with persistence, a thirst for knowledge, desire, belief in self, and a sense of mission. Since these are traits anyone can achieve, we are all candidates for genius status. Genius in the making is all around; we just don't recognize it because it's all dirty and sweaty.
 
IQ tests used to determine genius rely on questions that can be answered correctly with sufficient study. Merely improving one's vocabulary can move the score into the genius range. In other words, even IQ genius can be learned.
 
Real world genius is about doing something, not waiting for something to happen. What we do to separate ourselves from the pack is to do it quickly. So a sense of urgency is critical to genius. Anyone can do almost anything given enough time. It is those who get there first who become the geniuses. Genius is creativity, a lot of reliance on the knowledge and skills of others, tens of thousands of man-hours, and a tenacious will to get it done, and get it done now. Look into the history of any successful person and note that these are the common, banal, unremarkable, sweaty causes for their genius.
 
Given that truth, most geniuses, if they are honest with themselves, are embarrassed by the title. There is even reason to be resentful because the moniker diminishes the hard work by presuming the accomplishment was unearned, a gift of genius. The term also sends the wrong message, namely that if you are not a genius by birth, you can never do genius things.
 
The term genius should therefore be restricted to children with talents unearned. All the other geniuses (the vast majority) should be called hard workers instead.

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​You can be a hard worker (genius) too.