How To Find Your Zone Of Genius
When was the last time you really felt alive in your work? What if you could have an endless abundance of inspiration, constantly creating work that is distinguished, unique and in flow with your soul purpose?
This is what it feels like to work in your zone of genius.
Before I became an entrepreneur, doing what I love, I was a massage therapist. I worked long days in a tiny room with no windows and barely enough room to walk around the massage bed. I would stare at the clock, counting the clients until the end of the day and then just hang out on the weekends.
I eventually started a side business on my weekends, teaching people online how to eat clean and get healthy. I couldn’t wait to get to this part of the week, and I began to feel excitement come back into my life.
Once I started to build my marketing business around the side business, time began to move quickly, and I realized I was doing what I loved – helping others and teaching and sharing what I knew and was passionate about.
I felt alive and realized this is my soul zone, my zone of genius, my sweet spot. I would do this even if I wasn’t getting paid.
To find your zone of genius, spend some time thinking about these three key questions. (Make sure you have a pen and paper and answer honestly):
- What things do you do that doesn’t seem like work?
Do you love organizing?
Sharing your knowledge with others?
Hosting events and socials?
Solving problems for people?
Coaching one on one?
Do you love numbers and accounts?
Dissecting business plans and strategies?
Teaching women to start their own business?
Helping those less fortunate?
Think about when you really flow, when time moves quickly, and what tasks you would probably do even if you didn’t need to get paid. Brainstorm as many as you can, or just write one. This is something you love to do:
- What tasks do you do in your day job that give you the highest ratio of abundance and satisfaction? What areas do you get the most pleasure and profit from when you’re at work?
Working with clients?
Networking events?
Accounts?
Communicating in another language?
Staff upskilling?
Selling?
Advertising campaigns?
Now look deeper into that and assess whether this is something you could work into a business.
- What is your unique ability?
For me, it was becoming the greeter at my church. I’m a warm, friendly person, and I have a unique ability to strike up a conversation with a perfect stranger.
Are you great at leading?
Are you a natural organizer?
Do you thrive in stressful situations?
Are you a motivator?
Do you have the gift of the gab?
Can you close a sale like no one else?
List everything you can think of, even if it seems very basic. If you have thirty years of marketing experience, marketing will be on your list. This is not just what you’re “passionate” about – it’s something you recognize you are naturally gifted at.
This is the step that separates mediocre successful people from highly successful people. It’s all about their mindset. You should be able to see from that list the areas you should be spending more time in your life.
“I can do it all” is not a badge of honor. It’s time to prioritize your genius zone and let go of the things that bog you down or take you away from it. If your talent is networking or marketing and you could be bringing in ten new clients to your business, hire someone to clean your house. Those hours every week are valuable to you in accessing your genius zone. “Doing it all” is not helping you scale your business.
Do less of the things that drain or hold you back and spend more time playing in your genius zone. Maintain your zone by watching out for those extra tasks that may have crept back in.
The key here is to identify what comes naturally to you and capitalize on that. We tend to focus on what comes naturally to other people and gives them success, then try to teach ourselves those skills to recreate their genius. There is only so far you can go when doing this. When you get into “flow” and find your own sweet spot, you will excel far and beyond what anyone else is doing.
