Practical Genius (30 page)

You know a genius when you see one. You know when you see her in the mirror, or standing next to you at a party, or sitting next to you on a train. The power of one practical genius is mighty. The potential of two is a movement.

Join the movement at
www.practicalgenius.com
.

It really does take a village to actualize a dream, and this book couldn’t have happened without the minds and hearts of so many.

First and foremost is the wonderful family that surrounds me—my amazing husband, Stephen, whose unconditional support and sacrifice allows me to accomplish the unthinkable; my son, Lucas, whose pure spirit fuels my passion and joy for life; my mom, Juanita Quintana, for being the first to believe in my genius; my dad, Al Amaro, for nourishing me throughout this journey with support and home-cooked meals; my stepmom, Melba Olmeda Amaro, for smiling upon my every word with pure appreciation for the message; my incredible brother, Julian Javier, who keeps the art within me alive; my grandparents Clemente, Frances, and Jovita, whose spiritual guidance enfolds me; and my aunts and uncles, for their loving warmth, thank you!

Yodas are priceless! Thanks for having my back on this not-so-crazy idea: Sheila Wellington, Kevin Carroll, Daniel Pink, and Melissa Bradley.

This tribe of generous givers whom I adore has helped me beyond measure: Katina Rojas Joy, my emotional venture capitalist; David Taggart and Dan Stav; to my amazing assistant, Toma Rusk, who keeps me sane and to my comrades and brilliant TEDxMIA family for igniting a genius movement in Miami when many said it was impossible.

To Dan Lack, my MBM entrepreneurial tribe, and my twenty-something mentors—the “fat brains” in my life—thanks for keeping it real with me.

To Gina Benning and Ivan Moore, the muses whose insights helped set me free from a life of conformity, thank you. To Dr. Gaston, my acupuncturist, for keeping me healthy throughout this rigorous process. To Tonya Evens, Michelle Minguez Moore, and Adriana Comellas-Macretti for always having my back. To the students and library staff at the Herbert Library at Florida International University, where I camped out for all those months, thanks for offering a supportive writer’s cave for me.

Finally, this book would have never seen the light of day if it weren’t for Karen Watts, my literary agent and editor and the left side of my brain. Karen, you complete me and I love you dearly. And last but not least, Michelle, Stacy, Trish, and my extended Touchstone/Simon & Schuster family—thanks for believing and participating in this movement from the heart.

active listening,
80
–81

Addison, Joseph,
9

aerobic exercise,
153

Alstrup, Andrea,
181

Amaro, Javier Julian,
123

ambassadors,
96
,
102
,
114
–19,
132
,
169

taking on role of,
118

American Advertising Federation,
181

analytical skills,
32

Anderson, Chris,
47
,
128
,
148

antioxidants,
150

Apple,
174

Aristotle,
9
,
51

Aron, Atalia,
73
–74,
122
–23

Arruda, William,
175

art:

illustrating thoughts with,
77

making date with,
146
–47

audience,
174
–86,
187

attracting of,
176
,
177
–79,
187

engaging of,
180
–82,
184
–86,
187

identifying of,
174
–75,
187

online,
183
–85,
187

stimulating growth in,
176
,
182
,
186
,
187

avocados,
150

Avon Foundation for Women,
179

Avon Products,
6
,
178
–79

Avon Voices,
179

Baruch College,
66

basketball,
153
,
154
,
180
,
181

Bates, Sunny,
116
–17,
122

BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor),
153

Beck, Martha,
41
,
67
,
98

Bell, David,
181

Billone, Joe,
178
–79

Binghamton University,
66
,
108

Black-Eyed Peas,
179

blueberries,
150

body language,
83
–84,
85
–87,
91

body movement,
153
–55,
163

Bono,
47

Bordainick, Brian,
10
–11

branding, personal,
14
,
169
,
172
,
175
,
180

Branson, Richard,
45
,
168

Brown, Stuart,
157

Burrell, Tom,
181

Bush, George H. W.,
181

Business Innovation Factory (website),
119

Byron, Lord,
143

California, University of,
82

at Berkeley,
84
,
185

Cardona, Alice,
108

Carroll, Kevin, ix–xi,
39
,
156

Carroll, Nana, ix–xi

Catalyst,
105

Catcher in the Rye, The
(Salinger),
73

cause-related marketing,
179
,
180
–82

Century Club,
107

China,
108

chocolate, dark,
151

Cisco,
159
,
160

Clinton, Bill,
181

Coca-Cola Enterprises,
181

communication skills,
31

Cooper, Frank, III,
185
–86

corrective eye surgery,
5
–6

Covey, Steven,
113

creativity,
40
–42

crowdsourcing,
186

Csíkszentmihályi, Mihaly,
158

Cullers, Vince,
181

“curiosities” lists,
142
,
143

Daily Point of Light Award,
181

Da Ping Luo,
131

dark chocolate,
151

Darwin, Charles,
9

Davies, Carol Boyce,
108

Def Jam Recordings,
185

degeniused self,
2
–3,
146
,
189

deliberative strengths,
35

DEWmocracy campaign,
185
–86

diet,
21
,
149
–52,
163

domain knowledge,
29
–30

Dominguez, Carlos,
159
–61

Drive
(Pink),
46

Drucker, Peter,
34

editing stories,
79
–80

Einstein, Albert,
42
–43

emotional intelligence,
29
–30,
48
,
161

skills of,
30
–34

executive coaches,
109
–10

exercise,
153
–54,
163

Expecting Adam: A True Story of Birth, Rebirth, and Everyday Magic
(Beck),
67

expertise,
36
–37

extrinsic values (Type X),
44
–45

Facebook,
34

face-to-face communication,
85

facial expressions,
81
,
83
,
86

Fannie Mae,
99

Fast Company,
185

“fat brains,”
96
,
102
,
121
–23,
132
,
152
,
169
,
189

Fat Brains Advisory Board,
122
–23

Fenton, Traci,
171
–72

Fergie,
179

Ferrazzi, Keith,
115

Fifer, Julian,
131

“flow state,”
137
,
158
–61,
163

Frankenstein
(Shelley),
143

Fuller, Buckminster,
2

futuristic strengths,
35

Galton, Francis,
9

Gardner, Heide,
180
–82

General Mills,
10

genius:

in everyday people,
10
–11

recognizing your capacity for,
3
–5,
19

redefining of,
8
–12,
19

traditional definition of,
4
,
5
,
9

see also
practical genius

Genuine Insights (company),
3

globalvoicesonline.org,
119

Godin, Seth,
29

Gonzalez-Wallace, Michael,
153
–54

Google,
52
,
143
,
174