ZONE OF GENIUS AND THE MYTH OF SOLOPRENEURSHIP
Have you ever read The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks? In the book, he talks about the three zones we operate from: the zone of competence, the zone of excellence, and the zone of genius.
In the zone of competence, we are working on things we are not great at, and that take up a lot of time for us, but we can do a good enough job. In the body, it feels like strain.
In the zone of excellence, we are working on things that we have gotten above-average at and have even built- up a reputation for. In the body, it feels familiar.
In the zone of genius, we are working on things that don't feel like work and that we have a natural pull for and an inexplicable ability in. In the body it feels like floating.
I started thinking about these categories as applied to my work and realized that 80% of my workload was not in my zone of genius.
Ooops.
As a result of this, I can't properly leverage my time. The genius work, will always be overshadowed by admin, marketing, oh all the clicking!
Unless...
I hire.
This is where the myth of solopreneurship dissolved fully for me. This phase of business, where you are starting up and doing everything yourself, HAS to be a stage in business. I don't see how it's sustainable and profitable long-term.
Sounds like a recipe for burnout.
So in 2024, forget the 20 lbs. and consider what would spending more time in your zone of genius mean for you, (doesn't have to be a business thing) and what changes can you make.
In my case, I need to bite off more than I can chew so I can hire for my zone of competence. (or incompetence lol)
You?
MORE WRITING IN 2024
I've had a lot of changes on the personal front this year and have just been quietly living through them and not sharing or documenting too much.
I got off social media completely this year.
I only use it for work.
I also moved to a totally different environment (city-> country)
Took my daughter out of school as well.
And now, we are onto our next experiment in made-up living. I am probably on a plane as you are reading this.
Lots of newness and lots to write about.
I have started a Substack channel to document this journey.