Accidental Genius

By Andrea Goeglein

Mark Levy’s book, Accidental Genius, has been in my life since it was first published in the early 2000’s.  I bought at least 25 copies of the book with the intention of hosting a class — and writing a book.  Never hosted that class, yet I did create the inspirational book brand, Don’t Die™, but not because I read Mark’s book.

What I did do with Mark’s book, and will continue to do with the revised second edition, is use the book in my work.   I have gifted the book to many clients, especially male clients.   Why?  Mainly because of Secret #4 Write the Way You Think.  There is one sentence in that chapter that is gold for me:

“Freewriting isn’t writing, per se, it’s a means of watching yourself think.”

Watching yourself think.

Try it.

Within minutes you will grasp how many thoughts your mind produces without you being aware.

accidental genius 2Freewriting is the process of sitting quietly, putting pen to paper, and just observing what your mind is saying and writing that down.  Don’t be surprised if you start to noticed comments such as, “this is stupid, why am I doing this, I have things to do, this is not going to get me where I want to go, I need to be at a meeting in a hour, I have a call to make, wonder if the bank deposit cleared, I need to check the mailbox…” all the time you have not said a word out loud and only a few seconds have passed.

That ‘silent mind’ as I like to call it, commands your day.  That is why it is important for you to watch yourself think. Your ability to be an Accidental Genius lies in your ability to observe the silent mind of random thoughts and transform it into a mind that captures your greatest thoughts through writing.

Dr. Success Challenge:  Do just one Freewriting session as Mark suggests, but set a timer for just 2 minutes.  How many thoughts did you capture in the first 2 minutes?

Photograph of Mark Levy courtesy of Sara Kay Photography taken at  #BKMktg15

Second edition of Mark’s book courtesy of the great Berrett-Koehler Publishers

 

 

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About the author

Andrea Goeglein is part organizational psychologist, part entrepreneur, and all about success—your success. She understands both the pressures you face and the dreams that inspire you. Andrea merges her experience as a business owner with her training in Positive Psychology to provide effective, efficient and challenging personal development products and services. She combines an emphasis on objective assessment with an approach that is always powered by your spirit and guided by your goals. Her professional development offerings are based in theory and backed by direct business knowledge.

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