I’ve seen so many people tackle the topic (here, here, here, and here). It almost feels supernatural in the way people talk about it. Like it’s some god mode you get after a silent meditation retreat and 50 doses of ketamine.
Your zone of genius should matter to you because it’s the crucial ingredient found in high performers. And let’s face it … high performers live the good life, and the results for being average suck. So it’s essential to master.
I’ve found my zone of genius and it’s not complicated. Let me explain so you can find yours without joining a new-age cult.
Where the zone of genius *isn’t* found
The spiritual gurus want you to believe you have natural-born talents and these are part of your zone of genius.
I disagree.
What you’re born with isn’t all you get in life. You can be born an introvert and become an extrovert. You can be born bad at math and later in life become a master of numbers.
The idea we’re born with fixed skills we should focus on is bullsh*t.
We’re not our DNA or our programming. This is the modern lie victim culture has embedded in our minds, so we’ll fund their GoFundMe campaigns, therefore letting them sit on the couch.
Photo by Mitch Gaiser on Unsplash
Talent can be developed at any age.
The blinking red siren pointing to your zone of genius
What do you already do in a flow state?
Whatever you do in flow is your zone of genius. Puzzle solved. Question answered. It is that simple. Where you find flow is at the intersection of your zone of genius. Do more of it.
Flow is when work doesn’t feel like work. It’s when 8 hours passes and it feels like 30 minutes.
Controversial take:
Flow states are when you no longer seek work-life balance.
When flow takes over and you’re operating in your zone of genius the last thing in the world you want is to take time off. The work you enjoy consumes you. It becomes an obsession.
Doing the work is the escape, flow is the escape.
Photo by Valentin Lacoste on Unsplash
Gurus wanna complicate it
They give us exercises like “track what gives you energy.” Or “ask people what your zone of genius is.”
Seriously, if you need to take those baby steps then feel free. But this stuff ain’t hard. You already know what you’re good at and enjoy doing. That’s not the problem.
The problem is whatever work is your zone of genius doesn’t feel important enough or something you can make money from. Or you’re thinking the audience size for what you’re doing is too small.
These are limiting beliefs, not a sign you don’t have a zone of genius.
No matter how quirky your zone of genius is, it’s possible to do it full-time and let it takeover your life.
How I found my bizarre zone of genius
My zone of genius is writing online.
But I always hated writing. I was told writers were starving artists and I wouldn’t be able to make enough money to eat.
But I leaned into my zone of genius and found I didn’t hate writing, I hated the limiting beliefs I had around writing. Once I overcame those beliefs it made it easier to write and not feel the pressure or guilt I once had.
It was like a release valve opened inside my brain. “Everything you do from now on Tim must be centered around writing,” my mind told me.
If I’d listened to the gurus, I’d still be spinning my tyres trying to find a zone of genius that was right in front of my eyes. This is how most people live.
They ignore their zone of genius. They chase pots of gold at the end of rainbows that don’t exist.
Your zone of genius already exists. Will you accept it?
Final Thought
The solutions to life’s greatest problems are simpler than we think.
Sitting in a quiet room with a pomodoro clock, green smoothie, while reading Gay Hendricks’ The Big Leap book on zones of genius … is overthinking it.
Your zone of genius lies at the intersection of flow, obsession, high energy, and work that doesn’t feel like work.
Everything else is bullsh*t. Stop getting fooled by gurus.
