Several weeks ago Dick Richards sent me a copy of his great new book, Is Your Genius at Work? I finally had a chance to pick it up and go through it over the holidays. I recommend reading it (and more importantly, doing the exercises).
What is genius? It has nothing to do with IQ, and everyone has it. Richards describes it this way:
...everyone's genius is unique. Your genius can be thought of in a practical way: as the exceptional power that comes most naturally to you, as the process you undertake so spontaneously and easily that you do not notice it, and as the business in which you are engaged as a person. It can also be thought of in a mystical way: as the energy of your soul and as an answer to the question of why you exist within the human community.
Finding your genius is a way to live in alignment with yourself. It is a way to tap into the power of your unique gifts. It's about paying attention to who and how you are, and then taking action that is in alignment with that.
A key step in discovering your genius is naming it (he points out that you might go through numerous names as you peel back the layers and get more clear about the nature of your genius). What do you do uniquely well? What do you do automatically, without even thinking about it? What are you doing when you shine?
Some examples of what others have identified include:
* Engaging the Heart
* Digging Deeper
* Pursuing Understanding
* and Making it Work
Once you have identified your genius, Richards encourages you to identify your purpose (so you can put that genius to work in pursuit of that purpose) and to consistently ask the question, "Is my genius on purpose?" That is to say are your beliefs, the decisions you are making, your enviernoment, etc. helping or hindering the effective application of your genius?
Richards does a great job of both outlining his ideas and illustrating them with real life examples. But an interesting read won't do much in the long run to change your life. What I really love is the extensive section Richards provides with exercises to lead you through the genius process and put it to work in your life.
What's my genius? My first response would be to say, "Facilitating growth." As Richards points out, naming the genius is often a process of peeling back the layers, so I can't guarantee that that's my final answer. But it feels right for now.
Brought to you by Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst TM
Did you consider "engaging passion"?
Posted by: David Buchan | January 03, 2006 at 07:06 PM
Very true. Shiv Khera, one of India's most outstanding speakers said "Winners cannot do different things. They do things differently" Unfortunately he said that in the context of attitude. It is equally relevant as aptitude. As an extention of that statement one can ask "What is it that you can do differently". Common sense says that everybody cannot do everything differently or uniqely well. One has to discover one niche or in Dale Carnegie's words" Play one's own instrument in the orchestra of life". Then life itself becomes music. So try to find your Spontaneity. That is your genius- it could be an exalted intelligence or a humble intelligence; both are equally dignified.
Posted by: Hiren Shah | January 12, 2006 at 09:01 AM
Very true. Shiv Khera, one of India's most outstanding speakers said "Winners cannot do different things. They do things differently" Unfortunately he said that in the context of attitude. It is equally relevant as aptitude. As an extention of that statement one can ask "What is it that you can do differently". Common sense says that everybody cannot do everything differently or uniqely well. One has to discover one niche or in Dale Carnegie's words" Play one's own instrument in the orchestra of life". Then life itself becomes music. So try to find your Spontaneity. That is your genius- it could be an exalted intelligence or a humble intelligence; both are equally dignified.
Posted by: Hiren Shah | January 12, 2006 at 09:02 AM