7 I said, Days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom.
8 But there is a Spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.
[Job 32:7&8]
Who is a genius? The dictionary defines a genius to mean:
1. Someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill
2. Extraordinary mental capacity
3. Inspiration, a mental leap, an extraordinary creative process.
People like Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday, Archimedes, Pascale, Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, just to mention but a few, are known a geniuses (or genii). They have achieved the impossible and the world will forever be indebted to them.
From the above definitions, it appears to me as if a genius simply attains greatness by reason of the extraordinary skills and mental prowess they possess. It’s as if they became incredible humans simply because they have the natural endowment as such. However, that’s far from being the whole truth. According to Thomas Alva Edison“Genius is made up of 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. That defies my understanding of the word; but coming from a man who himself was a genius, it should be taken with utmost seriousness. In other words, the natural endowment is just an infinitesimal component in the making of a genius. The rest is hard work and a dogged determination not to give up when the going gets tough.
It’s just like being in school. Someone learns very hard all semester long; writes the exams and gets excellent grades, and his friends call him a “shark”. He probably spent more time behind his books than the average student who waited until revision week and had to “punch” and barely passed.
Our anchor scripture, the third definition and Thomas Edison’s definition together sum up how to become a genius. We first and foremost need the Holy Spirit, the source of all inspiration. Even God Almighty couldn’t achieve anything without the Holy Spirit (Gen 1:2).
Secondly, we need to work hard with determination— no giving up, no excuses, and no explanations.
Let’s make our minds and buttocks to sweat—there’s no other way. There’s no instant success in life. The only substitute is sakawa with its attendant ramifications.
With the Holy Spirit and the required mental fortitude, we will ALL become geniuses in our respective fields. It’s possible!
Become a genius!