What’s YOUR Zone Of Genius?

The Genius Questions

Before we look at the Genius Questions, the first thing you must know is that to get to your Zone of Genius, you first have to commit to living in it, every day for the rest of your life. Which, when you think about it, is a big commitment and one not to be entered into lightly!

But, actually, it’s not such a big ask for women like us, is it?

Because the truth is that we know we were born to be extraordinary and so taking the ‘Big Leap’ into living in our Zone of Genius is, although scary (scary is good, if it’s accompanied by excitement), a natural progression for us. We get to a point where we can’t not do it – because not to do it would mean living a small, unfulfilled life. And the rewards of living in our Zone of Genius are, in my experience staggeringly wonderful.

So, if you’re ready, repeat after me:

”I commit to living in my Zone of Genius now and forever.”

Now you’ve done that, and stepped out into the unknown, the bridge to your Zone of Genius can begin to appear under your feet. And that bridge is a set of questions to ask yourself.

In answering these questions, you need to have a deep sense of wonder about the treasures that you’re going to uncover inside yourself. Gay Hendricks describes this wonder as ‘the tool that invites these treasures up into the light’.

Here we go…

Genius Question No 1

What do I most love to do?

(i.e. I love it so much I can do it for long stretches of time without getting tired or bored)

When I first answered this question, I laughed at the thought that ‘shining my light on other women’s brilliance – seeing who they truly are and reflecting that back to them’ could be my work! Little did I know that this would become the most joyous, most appreciated, part of what I do!

Genius Question No 2

What work do I do that doesn’t seem like work?

(When you’re doing this certain thing, you’re at your very happiest – when you’re doing it, you think ‘This is why I do the work I do’.)

…Just like my VIP Days, my speaking gigs, my coaching and mentoring calls, and everything else I love to do.

The things that aren’t in my Zone of Genius are done by the other members of my team, whose Zones of Genius they are. I couldn’t do my Genius work without my colleagues doing theirs.

Genius Question No 3

In my work, what produces the highest ration of abundance and satisfaction to the amount of time spent?

(Even if I do only ten seconds or a few minutes of it, an idea or a deeper connection may spring forth that leads to huge value.)

For me, this is about the time I spend ‘allowing’ inspiration to happen. Let me explain: I find that, if I spend time trying to force new ideas or solutions to come from my head, I can be there for hours – struggling. Fortunately, I’ve learned (and remind myself) that my unconscious mind can do the job in seconds, especially when I actively link it to my intuition, where I access the feelings about whether something’s right, or not. And that happens when I’m in the shower, just before I go to sleep at night, in dreams, when I wake up in the morning (I keep a notebook by my bed, to note down my new thoughts & ideas), when I’m walking by the sea ……. basically anywhere but in my office!

Genius Question No 4

What is my unique ability?

(There’s a special skill I’m gifted with. This unique ability, fully realised and put to work, can provide enormous benefits to me and any organisations I serve.)

This one is about looking into the essence of who you truly are, at the deepest level, and finding the unique gift that you’ve been blessed with. That gift is your contribution to the people around you.

Gay Hendricks uses the analogy of a Russian doll to explain this – when you open the big one, there’s a smaller one inside it and hidden in the smaller one is an even smaller one. So, your unique ability is a skill within a skill – it’s usually camouflaged inside a larger skill you possess and it’s the underlying ability that drives all your larger skills.

My unique ability happens in the larger skill of helping stunning women to uncover their ‘something more’ – whatever that is for them – it’s my ‘seeing’ what’s possible for them and the resulting questions that spring to my mind which go on facilitate their greatness. Who’d have thought it, eh? ‘Seeing’?!

So, why not take some time out today to deeply understand and articulate YOUR Zone of Genius?

I promise you – it’s the place where magic happens!