Remember the myth of Cassandra?

Cassandra was royalty. Daughter of King Priam, sister to heroic Hector.

She went a bit mental thanks to Apollo, who gave her the gift of seeing the future but added the curse that nobody would believe her prophecies.?

Just take that in.?

Being able to see everything coming, wanting to warn people of avoidable calamities, only to be laughed at or ignored.?

It’s a pretty bad deal…and it perfectly captures what it can be like to be a gifted adult.?

Blessed with plenty of predictive power - but cursed when you share.?

I call it the Cassandra syndrome.

A lot of gifted people will:

• know things about other people before they realise it themselves
• immediately see how a new project is doomed to fail
• sense when someone is lying

My experience of this started as a very young child when I got told off by my mum for asking 'rude questions' during family reunions. And it continued well into my early career. I remember how many feathers I ruffled when, on one of my first jobs, I asked why on earth people were segregated by rank during lunch.

Seeing things is a gift - and, when not handled well, can be a curse

Because many people won’t like your message.?

They may not be psychologically prepared.

They may be playing political games.?

They may not believe you.

They may not care if things go wrong.?

So what’s a modern gifted Cassandra to do??

Use the power of discernment.?

Pair your predictive powers with empathy and contextual awareness.?

Before sharing what you see, ask yourself:

1. “Who benefits from my truth, besides me?”?
2. “Does the benefit of truth-telling outweigh the cost?”?
3. “Is it safe for me to speak to what I see?”
4. "Is it strategically smart?"

and only then decide whether or not to share.

Things didn’t end too well for Cassandra, but you have options.?

You can choose to be heard.

You can choose when to share your insights and when to hold back.

By doing so, you harness your gift in a way that truly makes a difference.

Remember, your foresight is powerful. Use it wisely, and it will serve both you and those around you.

P.S. Still feel you can't shake that urge to help other people? Then check out my article on letting go of your SuperHelper identity: https://www.coachkramer.org/blog/why-you-need-to-let-go-of-your-superhelper-identity