I strongly believe we all have a genius within us. It’s a thing unique to you, that you do so well; it seems effortless. In some cases, your genius is related to your passions and life purpose; however, it can be difficult to identify your genius when you are passionate about a whole lot of things. I, for one, am passionate about drawing, teaching, writing, and subtitling.
Earlier this year, I had a career breakthrough. I stopped pursuing everything to focus on my zone of genius, which is drawing. This is something I have excelled at ever since I was little, and it comes naturally to me. What’s more, when I’m making portraits I go into a state of flow, and I’m able to create unique pieces of artwork that are both realistic and illustrative.
I first became interested in the zone of genius concept when I listened to this interview with Gay Hendricks. According to him, there are four different zones of function.
1. The zone of incompetence: things you do that you may not be very skilled at and somebody else could do better.
2. The zone of competence: those things that you’re good at but somebody else could do them just as well.
3. The zone of excellence: you do things you’re great at and that people love, but you’re not on top of your game yet.
4. The zone of genius: This is where your unique abilities lie.
Take the example of my friend Stacy. She was a relationship expert and dating consultant for a while. She achieved success in this area, which was her zone of excellence, but it wasn’t her highest potential. When she quit her job as a dating consultant to dedicate full time to her true passion and unique ability, which is in the field of theatre, her business, income, and happiness levels all increased.
Hendricks states that most people don’t trust that they can reinvent themselves in their zone of genius, so they stay in their zone of competence or excellence. Just imagine if (insert your favorite artist/writer here) had given up on their potential and stayed in those two zones.
Most people don’t trust that they can reinvent themselves in their zone of genius, so they stay in their zone of competence or excellence.
There are countless articles on the web about how to turn your passion into a business. But I think focusing on your passion is overrated. If anything, it’s your genius that you should focus on.
Hendricks suggests you ask yourself the following questions if you want to find your zone of genius:
– What do I most love to do?
– What was it that I could do all day long and never got tired of doing when I was four years old?
– What are my unique abilities?
– What is it that I can do that I’m better at than most people in my environment?
– What is it that people come to me for?
– What work do I do that doesn’t seem like work when I’m doing it?
– What produces the highest ratio of abundance and satisfaction per time spent?
Lastly, I want to remark that skill alone won’t create success. It takes commitment, consistency, and determination, among other things, to build a successful business or career. In the end, it’s all about deciding to live an intentional life by prioritizing the thing that matters to you. And if that thing happens to be something you are naturally gifted at, then you will strike gold.
Are you living in your zone of genius? If so, let me know in the comments how this has impacted your life.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you choose to make a purchase through one of the following links, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.
Learn more about the zone of genius by reading the book, The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks.
