Finding some form of gratitude has felt like the world’s biggest chore. I stopped posting my daily gratitude simply because I hoped it would motivate me to stop delaying with each entry.

Simplify a process, streamline a solution.

I still struggled to take a moment and be grateful. At least on paper.

I am grateful for a lot of things in my life. My struggle stems from a little pop of depression around my physical health. I’m grieving some serious dreams, finding hopelessness in government disability assistance, grieving my healthier youth… so much grief and frustration.

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I utilized systems-style thinking my entire life. I’m intelligent and use forms of meta-intelligence, despite all appearances, lol.

Twice-exceptional individuals are usually characterized by a form of non-linear thought processing and some unique high-functioning thinking styles. Not in all cases, by no means. In my case? Yes.

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What meta-intelligence options exist? Well…

1. Meta-Systems Intelligence—One that I have used my entire life.
   • We all know what multilevel marketing is, right? It is observed every time you buy your favorite Scentsy item. It isn’t just for Tupperware now! Well systems thinking is network thinking.
   • Consequences are often evaluated long before they can happen.
   • Often bypasses a standard solution in favor of using a long-term approach. Multiple variables be damned, because they can be hashed out early using a system mentality.
2. Meta- Cognitive Intelligence—Essentially, thinking about your thinking process in real time to make strategic adjustments.
   • I do this often. I’ve learned to process an emotion, be aware of the processing, and acknowledge that process in real-time.
   • A big one under this category is the ability to evaluate mental habits and just, well, rewrite them. It is a form of very high self-awareness.
3. Meta-Strategic Intelligence—This is the mind that plays chess 5 moves ahead of current piece placement.
   • I despise chess. It feels boring. However, I am the mind that makes decisions in layers. I often implement multiple contingency plans in advance. My brain has already hashed out potential problems and has a deadman’s trigger for a collapse. Oh, cannot sit long enough for consulting to be optimal as a business? Well, mentoring is a good option that doesn’t require constant sitting! Writing in 45-minute bursts around school is possible!
   • If I didn’t have low stress tolerance and social anxiety, crisis management would be a career. That calm under pressure would make it more than just day-to-day survival!
4. Meta-Emotional Intelligence—That lovely understanding of the foundation behind emotional responses. Essentially, someone who can “read the room.”
   • I can hear, feel, and understand some of the most complex emotions just in a short conversation. Sometimes the different patterns conflict.
   • Imagine walking up to a register, reading kind exhaustion on the cashier’s face. They’re checking you out. Their phone dings. At the end, you have a question that requires looking back on the order. They seem irritable about this request, like you’re wasting their time. This requires watching the patterns of emotional responses over their face, body language, and intonation. Maybe they stole a glance at the phone screen when it dinged, revealing an emergent issue? Suddenly, they are moving a little faster, a little less cordial in their tone. The request turns into obvious irritation.
     • High EI would allow you to see when the reaction happened and how it did not involve you directly. They’re flustered, and you’re just the recipient because you’re convenient.
   • Yes, it irritates my boyfriend when I read these patterns on him. He doesn’t mind when I clue him in on others, though. Even he will admit that I have a high emotional intelligence. My therapist says the same, actually.
5. Ahhh, yes, Meta-Conceptual Intelligence—This is why I chose mentoring. I love taking a concept that is complex and humanizing it for someone without the extra education. They don’t just think outside the box, they redefine “the box.”
   • People with this form of intelligence? So creative yet grounded. I learn through conceptual restructuring, which is common when this is a strength.
   • I’ve had to note take many educational concepts using connective restructuring to relate them to everyday life. It helps firmly plant the information in my brain.

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There are other forms, of course. This isn’t even a brag. I’ve often wondered how people use those structural patterns. I don’t think many consider intelligence levels beyond standardized IQ testing.

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As a means to distract from the uncontrolled, I have allowed myself to deep dive into interesting areas like this. I love learning more. I love understanding more about myself, too. Often viewed as odd, I can now place a name and concept to what others never understood.

I am unique in nature. An oddity at times. It is nice to see there are relating terms to describe what was previously indescribable to me.

My health struggles keep pushing me. Honestly, they move eternally faster than your average governmental system. I just try to find gratitude where I can.