The Zone of Genius; How to Know What Yours Is.
Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag Painting by Addie Hirschten
Recently, I was driving my 9-year-old son and his friend home from an event. We had about a 20-minute drive ahead of us when my son’s friend began sharing with me his many thoughts about how the brain works and how it is very smart and can trick us into believing certain things are true when maybe they’re not. As he continued to share, I was blown away by this 9-year-old genius. He has an inner knowing about the brain that many people do not have and he is correct about some of what he was sharing. I reflected back to him that what he was sharing was true and that understanding how the brain works is one of his unique gifts and is one way that he is “really smart!”. We discussed the possibility of him becoming someone who helps people understand their brains one day.
After we dropped off this “brain” genius, my son and I reflected about how we are all “smart” and have unique strengths and gifts and how important it is to recognize the things that put us in our “zone of genius.” We talked about his zones of genius, how when people are not expressing themselves in their gifts in some way, they can feel sad and unfulfilled in their lives, and how it is so important to express our gifts to be happy and to thrive.
One of my son’s zones of genius is math. When he is not given opportunities that are challenging to him in math, a need of his is not being met, and he consequently feels disheartened, mad, and sad when that happens. It’s a constant struggle at the beginning of every school year, for which we must advocate strongly. In this way, I am willing to “fight” for my son’s right to be in his “zone of genius” at school because I know how important it is to his mental and emotional health. We all have a right to thrive and have our zone of genius cultivated and reflected back to us by others.
I believe we all are responsible for knowing what our “genius” is, putting ourselves in situations in which we can express it, and reflecting back to those in our lives when we see their genius.
Are you seeing your zone of genius? Can you see the zone of genius in others? Are you putting yourself in life situations that cultivate your gifts? Are you reflecting to others when you see them shine?
Perhaps you do not know what your zone of genius is or have lost it along the way. If this is the case, here are some clues to help you identify or remember what that might be. By the way, we can have more than one, and it does NOT have to be related to work. People get confused by this in our culture. We can align our zone of genius with our work, but it can also be entirely outside of work. Reflect upon these prompts to help you get closer to your genius.
1. It comes naturally or feels “easy” to you.
2. You most likely loved this thing as a child.
3. You feel a sense of timeless flow when doing it.
4. You feel connected to something beyond just yourself.
5. You do it whether or not you are getting paid for it.
When I was a child, I wanted to be a psychiatrist, and I also had a spiritual knowing that what I was going through as a child would help me help others in some way. I also loved language arts, reading, writing, and poetry. I was a writer of poems and journaled every day. These genius zones were not reflected back to me at the time, and I was not given an opportunity to pursue these pursuits academically.
Now, I see that an untraditional winding road led me to cultivate this inner genius and share it with others in my work both as a counselor and a writer and blogger. I am so grateful to have this inner genius of mine received and reflected so beautifully by others who benefit from it. I’m sharing my gifts with the world; it feels so good!
What genius is waiting to be expressed through you? Is there a step you need to take on the path toward it? The journey to your genius begins with a single step.