My friend Ral has often been called a genius (admittedly by herself as much as anyone … but we make allowances given she has been to Harvard).  

Angela Duckworth, author of Grit, says that genius is greatness that isn’t necessarily effortless, but greatness that is earned. Something that you have accomplished, rather than something that is given to you. (And she’s got a fair bit of pretty compelling empirical evidence to support her point of view.)   

Natasha Pincus, author of I’m not a genius and so are you, agrees. She reckons that anyone can be a genius. Anyone with the will to be one.