The best way to describe my thoughts on outliers are by describing my own personal experience and what led me to read that book.

I was diagnosed with learning disabilities and placed in remedial classes beginning in 1st grade. My whole life I thought I was dumb. My problems were with linear subjects and tasks - paying attention, math, following specific directions step by step, sitting in my seat for long periods of time and not distracting the other kids, etc.

Spent many Saturday’s on suspension, was written many referrals, and labeled “that kid” by my teachers, leaders, and others in the community. I found out that I had qualified to graduate high school on the day of graduation and walked to receive my diploma with a 1.68 GPA. I didn’t excel in much in high school, but it always felt really important to me to find my testimony and once I did at the age of 14 I knew it was important to make decisions to stay worthy to serve a full time mission. I earned my Eagle Scout and duty to god award and became seminary class president. I would say the church is the only place I really ever excelled in life as a youth, and my passion and love of the restored gospel was palpable to those around me, especially my non member peers, and I ended up baptizing 3 of them, but would end up bringing a whole crew of about 6 or 7 non members to stake dances every weekend. I just loved the church and being a Mormon kid...perhaps because I felt that all the other accolades and recognitions of the world just felt secondary to me. My junior year, I became the recruiting manager for cougarfan.com and the co-publisher for cougarillustrated.com (rivals) and later an editor at TBS. I had finally found something I was good at - ncaa recruiting and analyzing BYU sports - and has an outlet to express that passion.

I was called to the Florida Tallahassee mission, a mission that averaged just two baptisms per missionary. I ended up baptizing over 20 (not including the ones I had an indirect influence on or taught the discussions but got transferred before their baptism date). I was put into leadership and I found that I could be successful with linear tasks, sit for long periods of time, follow directions, and keep a schedule, and obey the rules with exactness. I just had to be in the right environment and be given enough autonomy and respect from those above me to let me do my thing and not micro manage me.

When I came home, I knew I could succeed and was excited to get to work on creating my life with this knowledge that I could be successful no matter what I did as long as I worked hard and avoided Idleness and could do my best to not put myself in disadvantaged environments, keep the commandments, retain the work ethic and discipline I learned on my mission. Oh and find things I’m passionate about. As long as I was passionate about something, it was easy to excel.

I came home and found a job cleaning toilets in the men’s locker room as a house keeper at Bally Total Fitness. A couple of months later, I got promoted to a sales position and as a fitness coach. After one month I was the number one sales rep in the region. The next month I was the number one rep in the NATION. Selling religion and health/fitness were easy sells for me because I believed in it and I was passionate about it and loved seeing people improve their lives. All I had to do was apply what I learned on my mission.

After saving up all my commissions and wages for about 6 months, I had enough money to pursue my childhood dream - go to BYU.

Seemed impossible but something deep down felt like I could do it and MUST do it. I attended the BYU SL center in Holladay and applied the same work ethic and after enough credits I applied to BYU as a transfer student and got accepted. Found out I got accepted the day after my wedding. It was a glorious time. I ended up working in the athletic department, getting a full academic scholarship, and graduating in the top 10% of my class. It wasn’t without its struggles though. My anxiety and physiological symptoms and chronic pain had me withdrawing from many semesters and spending many hours and days at the BYU student health center. It took me two extra years to finish my degree as a result. I still struggled with math and science classes.

I had to register with the university accessibility center and get accommodations for my disabilities. At times it all seemed too much. It was then that my accessibility counselor gave me an intelligence test and I discovered that I was actually very intelligent and intellectually gifted. This changed everything for me.

As I got ready to graduate (2011), I set new goals for myself. I wanted to help every kid who thought they were stupid or who was labeled with a disability or disorder find their gifts and succeed. The academic term for the people I study is called “twice exceptionality”...where an individual has a disability but is also very intelligent or gifted in one area or another. I graduated in 2011 and from then on I was in a quest to learn everything I could about twice exceptionality. I consumed books like delicious ice cream - basically inhaled them reading 3-4 books a week. That’s when I read Outliers. I worked full time while pursuing my MBA where I was focused on innovation and HR Management and believed that I could consult businesses on how to find innovative talent and these diamonds in the rough, the misfits, the problem employees and use them and their strengths to help your organization excel. I developed a whole innovative scheme and recruiting program and talent management strategy but struggled to get people to understand its potential and take me seriously.

Unfortunately I was naive to the darkness of the corporate world. I didn’t know how threatening having a high IQ is to people. I began being targeted and written up and watched under the microscope and micromanaged. I was a threat to the employees around me. A funny thing about me, I am smart, but when you spend time around me, people get this feeling that they SHOULD be smarter than me. I still struggle in disadvantaged environments, make sloppy mistakes on detail oriented work, struggle with time management, and am just really incompetent in the political realities of the adult world. As a result, people saw that and used that to get me in trouble. I ended up getting laid off despite being one of the most productive employees. This was very very depressing to me.

Life has been a struggle for me post grad. My struggle has been with fitting in and with being misunderstood. Oddly enough, LDS people seem to misunderstand me the most, I can’t tell you the judgment and harsh condemnation I have received from this community and culture but it has been very hard. It’s very difficult to see things most people don’t see and not know how to help improve the situation without either being misunderstood and laughed at because my ideas seem idiotic OR with making people feel stupid inadvertently.

After being laid off, I almost ended my life. I was about to become a father and had just bought a house and had promotions in other departments coming my way but knew that the corporate world was not where I needed to be. The hard thing was that I had no idea where I needed to be.

Well, I think I found it...

I am now pursuing my PhD and have written 6 books but have put everything on hold because of funding issues. Life is expensive.

I really think my research will save lives and could change the world. “My people” are languishing out there and too many of them give up, like I almost did. Too many are stifled by their environments and misunderstood, estimated to be stupid or below average because of their differences, quirkiness, and uniqueness. They are sensitive, over excitable, perfectionistic, and idealistic dreamers who simply just don’t fit in with the “standard” and their disabilities are REAL issues that have to be taken care of and attended to with care. The problem is when you are really intelligent, it just looks to others like the individual is just not trying hard enough, lazy, or even immoral.

I hope I can make it all work. I really want to help people. Honestly, I really want to help myself. In spite of my accomplishments, I’m still a very lost little boy and suicide is still a Real struggle for me. It’s hard to explain, but sometimes the world seems too big and there’s just not enough time to tackle everything while still attending to the basic responsibilities that come with human life. Truth is, I’m really a burden. Everywhere I go. I make life difficult. And that’s the last thing I want. The best way to describe what it’s like is by reading Flowers for Algernon. Life was easier and people liked me more when I was “stupid”. Accessing my intelligence has opened doors that have soured my belief in humanity. When it comes down to it I’m very lonely. Desperately lonely.

It’s really my passions that keep me alive. The thought of saving just one life, helping just one kid excel and realize their potential....just makes it all seem worth it.

I would be happy to hear more about your “below average kid” and do an assessment. I don’t know you, but the little interactions I’ve had with you tell me everything I need to know. You are a sweet gentle soul, a soul that is kind and loved his kids and takes his responsibilities seriously. It’s the souls like you that are life savers for people like me. Kindness is just sometimes the only thing I need, and there’s just so little of it in this world.

So yeah....that’s me. Hope you find what you are looking for.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

-Jonno