"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."
This quote is by the world’s most renowned genius: Albert Einstein. He recognized that his extraordinary capacity to shape the world with his genius was not an anomaly. He believed everyone has this capacity; he reached his potential simply because he had identified his genius and followed it during his career.
The problem so many people currently face in stressful careers and feeling they are not reaching their potential is that they don’t know or are not sufficiently focused on their own genius. This article introduces you to the idea of genius and shows why clarifying your genius and bringing it to the forefront of your career will help you create the career you really want!
The power + potential of your GENIUS!
You were born with innate gifts that are uniquely yours to contribute to the world: YOUR GENIUS. It is your divine spark, your purpose in this world. You expressed genius in childhood games and geek out inside your genius as an adult. Unfortunately, you likely lost sight of your genius at some point by placing emphasis on learning skills deemed to bring you career “success.” You may have also lost yourself by agreeing to wear many hats at work, even if they didn’t fit, feeling like you had no choice and because you didn’t yet appreciate the value of your genius.
When you identify your genius and align your work to it, you know you are doing what you were born to do. It comes easy to you and feels fun. In your genius zone, you are fueled by passion, do your very best work, and you become a channel for thought leadership that creates positive change. As you let go of areas of work that are not your genius, you become more alive and energized. You feel fulfilled and lit up, and so opportunity comes easily. Others are naturally attracted to work with you.
As you focus more in your own genius, you will find that you need others to continue growing and reaching your full potential. No longer trying to hold all the pieces or control the outcomes in your work, you become free to find and trust the genius of others. Others bring complimentary genius to do with ease what felt hard for you. Now there is even more potential. Your reach expands in unity. As a team, you work toward a vision collectively. Your combined geniuses work in harmony like a village toward extraordinary results you could not have achieved alone.
How to recognize your genius
Because so many of us have lost sight of our genius, I have spent the last decade perfecting tools to help people reconnect with their genius. Here, I will share the simplest one.
If you want to get connected to your genius, get connected to yourself.
The key inquiry is: what is fun + easy for me?
This may feel backwards at first because it has been so ingrained in us that “work is hard.” What I have found is that if your work feels hard to you, it’s not your genius. (You might want to take a minute to let that soak in!)
The idea that your work is fun and easy may blow your mind at little at first. It’s mind blowing because we have been indoctrinated in modern times with thinking that that harder work is, the more it is valued. To talk about work as :hard” is like a badge of honor.
Today I'm offering you the opposite: that your genius is fun and easy for you. This makes perfect sense with this insight: Your genius is fun and easy for you because your genius is your innate talent. You were literally born with it! Your genius is the mystical spark you were given to contribute to this world and can do with ease. And, your genius is something that for others is hard. That’s what makes you and your genius valuable to the world
3 inspired actions to connect more deeply to your genius
If you feel inspired to deepen your understanding of your genius, here are my recommendations to get you started:
Level 1:
The first practice I give every client is to listen to my 3 minute heart meditation (available free on the Insight Timer app). The magic of this practice is helping you to attune to yourself again. Your heart is not just a physical organ, the energy of your heart is where you hold the keys to who you truly are and your genius. Doing this practice for 2 weeks is transformative. You will experience more connection to your heart's desires which guide you toward your genius; and you'll experience less self doubt which guides you away from your genius.
Level 2:
The second level practice is to simply observe throughout the day: what feels fun + easy for me? You tend to not recognize these things in yourself as special, but they truly are! And these are the biggest clues! This includes noticing what you geek out over - reading about, listening to others talk about, or doing your own journaling or research. It also helps to notice what subject areas others come to you about for help and you can talk to them endlessly about it without watching the clock or needing to be compensated for your time. Inside your genius zone, you're doing what you love whether anyone is looking or paying you. It's just what you love doing.
Level 3:
To more deeply dive in, read and do the practices in my ebook, The Genius Reflection Practice. Here, I share more with you about why we miss our genius, and that wisdom can help you not skip over yours. The ebook also provides a 10 minute daily journaling practice that with consistent effort will literally will reflect back your genius to you.
About the Author
Gina Marotta is a career coach + spiritual guide. She coaches and teaches individuals and teams globally about cultivating the power of your inner genius at work. Gina understands the plight of modern professionals having worked early in her career as a criminal defense attorney followed by a managing director position for a national nonprofit organization. Gina is a contributing author to the book Readings in Restorative Justice where she wrote about transforming her legal career from hard work to healing work. She has been featured in media outlets such as: Thrive Global, The Huffington Post, CBS News, WGN Radio, and The American Bar Association Magazine.