“I know what I don’t like but I have no clue what I like, and what I am really good at”.
“I want to take a different career path, but I have no idea where to begin”.
“I hear I should follow my passion, but I wouldn’t know what it is or where to even begin”.
I hear this all too often, and I’ve been there myself too. You see, we are not trained to think like that and we're too busy finding our answers outside when, as usual, the answers to these questions are already within yourself. You just need to go inwards and find them.
Does this resonate with you? Then I suggest you use this exercise as a starting point.
Get a pencil and a big sheet of paper to allow for your creativity to flow freely. You'll need to do some writing here.
Draw 4 intersecting circles - like the ones in the picture below.
The intersection of these circles is your Zone of Genius - you might also know it as Ikigai - a Japanese concept which translates to "your reason for being".
In each circle you'll write 4 big words: Passion, Skills, Talents and Values - which you will need to complete as follows:
What you’d do all day, for FREE, if all your needs were covered. This is what makes you FEEL GOOD. It’s OK if you don’t know what that is right now. It will come, allow yourself to be OK with not knowing yet.
What you’ve learned in your journey to-date. Every single tool and process in your know-how. What you’ve studied, the software you use in your current job, a methodology, etc. These are transferable competencies.
What you’re naturally good at. It’s all what you do effortlessly. Not sure what? Ask a (good) friend or family. These might be things you often disregard as non-important: being a good listener, holding space for others, having the right word of encouragement, drawing, communicating, etc.
What matters most to you than anything else. This is your WHY, your filter-system to make any heart-aligned decision.
Here's a nice reminder if you want to save it.
Your Zone of Genius is that which only you can do like nobody else. It’s almost as unique to you as your fingerprint.
Ideally, you want to try to spend as much time as you can operating from there.
Though many of the things you've jotted down are for life, some of them might not hold so true throughout your entire life. We (hopefully) evolve, and so does this list.
For example, some of your Values are inherent to you, and others might change as you grow - in age and in wisdom 😉
This is a "live" list, you might add or remove things that are not necessarily true for you in different stages of your life.
Therefore, I suggest you have this very present and use it as a guide to check-in with yourself whenever you're considering a next step or move.
Give this a try and let me know if you find it useful! You can reach out to me also via my Instagram Account.
And also please share with whoever might find value in it as well.
With love,
Paula