I was labeled gifted, but I also seriously lacked coordination. My handwriting was and is truly awful, and any "project" that involved construction came out a mess, no matter how much time I put into it. Sometime around middle school I was diagnosed with ADHD.
As a result, I grew up with the message that I was "smart but lazy" and "if only you would apply yourself then..." Teachers always assumed I did a rush job on everything (which before I got ADHD medication was often true). Parents saw grades that were good but not what I was capable of.
That sort of message can haunt you.
On a related note, Gladwell (in one of his books, I forget which) wrote about how people who were picked to be great successes based on childhood IQ scores wound up all over the map; but very few were great successes (most wound up as moderately successful professionals, IIRC)
I think expecting gifted kids to be successful, and putting a bunch of effort into such, is a mismatch.
It's pretty well known that perseverance (perhaps being a jerk too) is much more important than high IQ for becoming rich and powerful.
High IQ is much better for coming up with deep ideas, being creative, etc. Not characteristics that necessarily correspond with our standard definition of success.
As a result, I grew up with the message that I was "smart but lazy" and "if only you would apply yourself then..." Teachers always assumed I did a rush job on everything (which before I got ADHD medication was often true). Parents saw grades that were good but not what I was capable of.
That sort of message can haunt you.
On a related note, Gladwell (in one of his books, I forget which) wrote about how people who were picked to be great successes based on childhood IQ scores wound up all over the map; but very few were great successes (most wound up as moderately successful professionals, IIRC)