Genius
Hi Friends! 2024 is here, and we are going to kick the year off with a VERY big idea. I want to share a concept that completely changed my understanding of what it means to “work” and build a “career.” Today, we are diving into genius.
Several years ago, I found myself in quite the rut. I left my job at a marketing firm to restart my consultancy and launch an apparel company. This leap gave me a sense of purpose and excitement, and frankly, I was so unhappy at my job that I was willing to do just about anything else. A little over a year after this shift, I began to feel a sense of staleness. Don’t get me wrong, I was MUCH happier, but I still felt like I wasn’t quite there… whatever that means. Then a book was recommended to me that completely changed the course of my life.
The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks helped me to understand the value of joy and fulfillment and my unique path to accessing it as much as possible. It gave me the courage to close my apparel company and begin to steer my career into a very different direction, part of which you are reading now.
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The Zone of Genius
To understand the zone of genius, let’s start with the other three zones that can occupy our time and attention.
Zone of Incompetence
These are the activities that we are not good at, that others can do better, and provide no joy. We commonly experience these things as incredibly frustrating and time consuming. For me, this is anything math related or involving a spreadsheet. Seriously.. open a spreadsheet in front of me and you can see my personality diminish in a matter of seconds.
Ask yourself: “What do I persist in doing that others can do better? That I’m no good at? That I don’t enjoy?”
Zone of Competence
These are activities that others can do just as well, but they don’t provide much joy other than the satisfaction of completion. These often take up most of our time and can give a sense of “going through the motions.” For me, this is managing people and processes. I can do it, and do it well, but I won’t be happy about it.
Ask yourself: “What do I persist in doing that others can do as well? That I don’t necessarily enjoy?”
Zone of Excellence
These are activities that you can do better than most and are likely going to get paid well for them. The zone of excellence is tricky because it feels safe and seduces the material nature in us. “I’ve made it this far.” “This is good enough.” “Why rock the boat?” The only problem is, these activities don’t fill your cup, at least not in the way you wish they would. After a lot of self discovery I learned that, for me, this is design. I have produced some incredible work, but the act of designing doesn’t really do it for me. I don’t get a sense of excitement or ease and flow – especially compared to what I have identified as those activities in my zone of genius.
Ask yourself: “What do I persist in doing that I can do better than most others?”
Zone of Genius
“Liberating and expressing your natural genius is your ultimate path to success and life satisfaction. Your Zone of Genius is the set of activities that you are uniquely suited to do. They draw upon your special gifts and strengths. Your Zone of Genuis beckons you with increasingly strong calls as you go through your life.” – Gay Hendricks, The Big Leap
This is where the magic happens. When I am operating in my genius, time moves differently and things flow seamlessly from one to the next. Most importantly, these things give me more energy than they take. The satisfaction is life-giving. The expression of your genius increases presence, connection, and aliveness while creating opportunities for powerful expansion.
For me, I am learning more and more that my genius is expressed and experienced in writing and conversation on topics that feel meaningful and provide shifts in perspective.
At this point you may be wondering “what’s my genius?” or you might already have an idea. Here are some prompts that my help you out:
When I’m __________ it doesn’t seem like work at all.
Ever since I was a child, I’ve loved to __________.
In my work I get the best results when I’m __________.
Those around me say that one of my most unique capabilities is __________.
When I’m working, time seems to just disappear when I’m __________.
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“Things were going so well until…”
I have spoken these words many times, as I imagine many of us have. We can’t talk about genius without mentioning the Upper Limit Problem.
Every now and then we hit a snag as we make our way, upward and outward, expanding our genius spiral. These problems and behaviors are what keep us from continuing our expansion toward joy and deeper expression of our genius.
“This is a mechanism of self-sabotage, and it's the brain's subconscious way of ensuring that we stay within our ‘safe zone.’ If we are not accustomed to feeling good for long stretches of time, our minds register that as foreign, and potentially dangerous. In addition, when we have everything we want, we are more vulnerable than ever before, because we could lose it all. Instead of enjoying it, we may find ourselves becoming more paranoid and neurotic when there's a lot on the line.” – Brianna Wiest, Forbes
When I experience Upper Limit Problems (ULPs), they are often tied to deeper, limiting beliefs. “I’m not good enough.” “I don’t know what I’m doing.” “I don’t deserve this.”
Here are some questions to help identify your common Upper Limit Problems (patterns and behaviors):
What patterns occur after a period where things are working smoothly?
What thoughts and experiences occur just as cooperation and collaboration begin to slide?
At what times do I tend to criticize my colleagues or myself?
My most common upper limit behaviors are __________. (worry thoughts, getting sick, starting an argument etc.)
Why is this issue coming up at this time?
It’s important to remember these behaviors aren’t necessarily bad. They are older parts of yourself trying to protect you from something that may have been relevant in the past. Rather than becoming upset with yourself or an older part, meet the moment with curiosity. Wonder how this feels familiar and identify how it is different today. Ask how you can befriend these feelings and restore your sense of aliveness.
After getting curious about it, I’ll often do something that interrupts the pattern like going for a run or writing about it. This helps create a shift that restores my sense of aliveness while moving through an ULP. Other examples of this include things like deep breathing, going for a walk, cooking, exercise, meditating, or generally doing something for yourself that fuels joy.
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Give yourself time, space, and grace as you explore your genius and unravel the limiting beliefs and behaviors that you may find along the way. Over time, you’ll continue to expand your genius along with your capacity for experiencing abundance, love, and joy.
The content above was created in collaboration with The Hendricks Institute. You can purchase The Big Leap here.
Thanks for reading!
If this post resonates with you, I would so appreciate your sharing it with friends, loved ones, and colleagues.