http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86x-u-tz0MA Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat Pray Love, gave a passionate 19-minute TED talk (that must have been inspired by her genius) on the power of genius. It's worth a watch.

Ancient Rome had at least one thing right! Romans believed that genius wasn't exceptional intelligence or creativity–something we either have or don't have–instead Roman's believed that each person had a genius (plural genii–think genie) that was a guiding spirit or guardian angel.

If you did something amazing–whether it was stunningly brilliant, remarkably thoughtful, or unimaginably creative—you would say that your “genius” had guided you. Imagine a genius whispering to Einstein, "mass is energy" as he is reflecting on the composition of the universe or another genius humming "da-da-da-daaah" to Beethoven and he immediately writes the first bar of his 5th Symphony. Maybe these genii had whispered similar things to others, but only Einstein and Beethoven were ready to listen.

Viewing intelligence or creativity in this way is incredibly liberating. What it means is that our responsibility is to develop our skills as much as possible, and be ready for the inspiring insights our our genius. If the genius doesn't show up on any given day, we need not worry. We've done our part as long as we're developing our talents, we've shown up to work and are listening in.

What do you need to do to make sure you can hear and act on the great advice your genius is sure to give you today?