> I'd like to know how they can avoid the same pitfalls that held me back earlier in life
There's a lot of studies around gifted kids that show that if you praise them for results, they grow up like you (and me), very risk-averse, only applying themselves if they knew they would succeed.
Instead, you should praise kids for effort. Reward work, not just punish non-work, as was done to you.
Even if you're clever, sometimes you just have to sit down and do boring-ass tasks, and it's a very useful adulting skill to have.
There's a lot of studies around gifted kids that show that if you praise them for results, they grow up like you (and me), very risk-averse, only applying themselves if they knew they would succeed.
Instead, you should praise kids for effort. Reward work, not just punish non-work, as was done to you.
Even if you're clever, sometimes you just have to sit down and do boring-ass tasks, and it's a very useful adulting skill to have.