In the past, genius had always been associated with high intelligence. As we are rapidly learning, the two are distinctly different. Yes, one can be both intelligent and genius, but IQ isn’t necessary to access or develop your genius.
Another area where people get muddled or confused is understanding the distinction between someone who is disruptive in their field and someone who is innovative within their field. Both are different, yet both have purpose.
To simplify one’s understanding of the two, you cannot have an innovation before there has been a disruption. Innovation is a term that refers to incremental improvements on an existing concept, idea, or product, like the lightbulb, the sponge, television, automobiles, computers, and even smartphones.
In order to stay relevant and competitive, one needs to constantly innovate to keep their product or idea viable. This takes convergent thinking. Convergence is the process of incremental improvements by funneling down until you end up with the best iteration of a thing.
Disruptive thinking, however is divergent. It is creative and expansive. When someone is divergent, they are not looking for an end result, they are in the discovery, explorative process. They do not yet have an end result in mind.
When Steve Wozniak first developed his personal computer, his intention was to give the knowledge away for free. He was in a divergent state of mind. This kept him creative, explorative, curious, and adventurous. It wasn’t until his friend, Steve Jobs, realized the incredible potential of turning this playful idea into something truly revolutionary.
In this way, genius is explorative, adventurous, creative, and playful, whereas intelligence is constructing or reaching a logical end result.
Another thing to consider, but which should never be your focus or sole intent, is that historically, Disruptions have been ten-times more profitable than just an innovation alone.
Think about someone like Marie Curie, Nikola Tesla, or even contemporaries like Stan Lee, creator of the most iconic Marvel superheroes, or JK Rowling, whose Harry Potter series, opened the floodgates for children’s books.
None of them were thinking about monetary gain, yet all created highly profitable industries. Both the Marvel franchise and Harry Potter are worth billions. But that was neither their intent or purpose. They were just willing to explore their creative frame of genius.
✨ Before You Begin the test, remember to:
- Trust your first instinct
- There are no wrong answers
- Don’t overthink
- You are not being judged—only revealed
- Select the answer that feels most true, not what you wish were true
You are not here to fit into a type.
You’re here to reacquaint yourself with
how you were always wired to think like no one else.