Getting in the Zone
Many years ago, when I was a practicing attorney, I knew I was good at what I did. It felt good to help my clients. It felt good to be successful. There was no reason not to feel satisfied in my career.
Yet, on a deeper level, I knew I wasn’t fulfilled.
I knew something had to change, but I had no idea what or how to figure it out. I had spent over $150,000 and countless hours of studying, exam taking, interning and paying my dues as a clerk. I knew I could keep climbing that ladder, but I wasn’t really interested.
You see, I had built my career in what’s called the zone of excellence. That’s an area where my skills were strong and I could excel, l was uniquely suited to do the work. I wasn’t tapping into my innate abilities and while I was good at what I did, it wasn’t lighting me up. My ego was pleased, but my heart and soul yearned for more.
I was not alone in this. Most people end up building their careers around their zone of excellence. Frankly, it’s easy to do. You excel at something. People ask you to do that thing. You get positive recognition for doing that thing. So, you keep doing it. And, before you know it, decades have gone by and you’re still doing that thing that you’re really good at, but something still feels “off”.
Gay Hendricks gave me the language to wrap my head around this phenomenon in his book, The Big Leap. In the book, he identifies the four different zones we operate in:
The zone of incompetence, in which you engage in something you inherently do not understand or are not skilled at. You could do the thing, but it’s going to take you longer, feel painful, and frankly you end up avoiding it in most instances.
The zone of competence, in which you do something you are okay at, but that many other people are equally okay at. It is the place where everything feels bland and undistinguishable.
The zone of excellence, in which you are doing something you are tremendously skilled at. You have probably had some cultivation of this skill including education, training and long periods of time working at it. But, you are not feeling joy or fulfillment from doing this thing. It doesn’t feel like a total energy suck like the other two zones can, but it certainly doesn’t light you up.
The zone of genius, in which your innate, natural abilities take over. This is also called being in the state of “flow”. Inspiration is around every corner, what you’re doing feels effortless, and your natural talent shines through. It is effortless. When you invest your time here, you can make magic happen in ways few others can.
Here’s the thing. We all have all of these zones.
There are things we’re great at and things that are harder for us. There are things we can do with little or no effort and there are things that take a great deal of effort.
The point here is that many of us are doing things in our lives and work that we’re really, really good at, and, if we’re willing to take a leap of faith in ourselves, we could move beyond excellence into the effortless place of genius.
It all starts with getting in the zone - of genius, that is.
In his book, Hendricks guides us to uncover our zone of genius with the following questions:
What do I most love to do? What is that thing you love doing so much you lose track of time?
What work do I do that doesn’t seem like work? What can you do all day that just feels good to do?
In my work, what produces the highest ratio of abundance and satisfaction to the amount of time spent? What is that thing you do that even if it’s only for a minute or two you are suddenly flooded with ideas and thoughts on actions to take?
What is my unique ability? What is that special thing (skill) you are uniquely gifted with?
The idea is that once you identify your zone of genius, you can start taking small steps in your work and life to allow for more time in this zone each day.
I had the pleasure of walking a client through this exercise recently, and they bubbled over with joy with the idea that it’s okay to a) have a zone of genius and b) to begin to find ways to start inviting in more of that zone into their life was pure joy for me (and yes, I was in my own zone of genius in that moment, I might add).
Here are some simple steps you can take to start to shift into more time in your zone of genius:
Start your day with 30 minutes of work that’s in this zone;
Ask your partner or children to take on tasks at home that are outside your zone of genius (particularly if they are in your zone of incompetence);
Look at ways to engage your team more by delegating tasks that are outside your zone of genius that may lie within one of their zones of genius.
As you keep working with these zones, keep in mind that just because you’re good at something doesn’t mean you need to do it.
For example, I’m really good at organizing things - people, parties, projects, things. I feel good when someone appreciates my work.
Sure, organizing, especially for other people, taps into my strengths as a strategic thinker and someone who likes helping and pleasing others. And, it thoroughly exhausts me.
There is nothing I’m doing when I’m in “organization mode” that countless others could do just as well if not better than I can. So, just because I’m good at organizing doesn’t mean I need to become a party planner, project manager or professional organizer. None of that would give me joy, although I would be awesome at any of those roles.
Instead, my unique abilities come shining through when I’m working with my clients.
I’m able to deeply listen, hold space, and distill a myriad of thoughts I hear them sharing with me. I see the forest, not just the trees.
I can see what’s been holding them back and can open doors to possibilities they may not have known existed. It’s as though I have a magical map that appears in my mind when I’m working with individuals, groups or businesses, and I am able to help unfurl it and let them find the path that works most uniquely for them.
Being able to speak to your zone of genius allows you to live deeply into the life you deserve to live, doing the things that are most important to you based on your values and abilities. You can more clearly advocate for yourself. Think of being able to walk into a board room, interview or your boss’ office and say with complete confidence that you know how you can best assist them. You could close the deal, get the job or get the project with so much more ease than trying to prove yourself. This is who you are. This is your zone of genius. Let it shine!
Start where you are. Use the questions Hendricks outlined above, and start to find your zone of genius.
Then, for the next week, I’d like to challenge you to notice where you are spending your time. Which zone are you in? How might it be possible to spend 15-30 more minutes in your zone of genius each day?
It is perfectly okay to choose to stay in your zone of excellence, if that feels good to you. You can absolutely be successful in the zone of excellence. But to take your life and work to the next level, you cannot keep playing by other people's rules and living up to others expectations.
So, are you ready to get into the zone? Let’s do this.
Let me know how I can help support you as you start this part of your journey.
