Is the world getting a second-rate version of you?

“Always be a first rate version of yourself and not a second rate version of someone else.” – Judy Garland

You are a genius.  How often do you say that yourself?  Well, I’m here to tell you that every single one of us has a core genius.  It’s the unique perspective, talents, ambitions,  network, presence, purpose and life experiences that no one else can replicate because they are uniquely yours.

Your core genius is so important and powerful that when you build a career around it, you are truly unstoppable.  Take my client with a genius for public relations.  We crafted a plan for her to leave her corporate job and embark on her dream of having her own firm.  Since day one, clients have been clamoring to work with her.  And now that she’s in control, she has much more time with her kids while still earning a great income.  She’s created her ideal career and her success has inspired her husband to take his genius and start his own business too!

If everyone is a genius, why are so many people unhappy in their jobs?  “The mass of men [and women] lead lives of quiet desperation.” – Henry David Thoreau. When you lack an understanding of your genius, you tend to look at what’s out there and shoe horn yourself into jobs that fit perhaps some of who you are but don’t showcase the full value your genius is capable of providing.

When this is the case, you don’t get fully compensated for what you’re capable of.  You end up having to do what you can to “get by.”  You might even start questioning if you have a genius at all.  Or you might get the sense that you could be doing something more meaningful but fear that will require starting over.   So, you resign yourself to living for long weekends and vacations.  You don’t talk much about work but when you do, you say things like “What are you going to do?  No one likes their job.”

Over time, you stop putting your best out there.  You do a good job but you don’t do a great job.  You get the job done but you don’t add new innovative thoughts or ideas to your work.  You take on more responsibility to move up the ladder but end up resenting the increased demands because they take away from quality time with family and friends.  When you do have an inspired impulse, you talk yourself out of implementing it or you make a list and think, “I’ll get to that when I retire.”

The good news is that you don’t need to live another day outside your genius.  You can build a bridge back to the kind of life and career that fit who you really are.  You can Soul Search, Research and Job Search and get focused clarity on your core genius and learn how to make a living being of service to others.  With these insights, you’ll know how to take smart career risks that don’t endanger you or your family’s well being but that give you the freedom to try new things and express your creativity and your genius in new and ever expanding ways.  Sound like a dream?  It is.  It’s your dream job and that’s part of your genius too.  When you have a day dream about where you’d rather be and about what you’d rather be doing, that’s a clue to where your genius wants to and can take you. It’s not a pipe dream.  It’s not childlike wishing.  It’s your core genius showing you what you’re truly capable of.

It’s my genius to help light your way!  And I am grateful that I get to help real people transition to living and working from their core genius.  Take my client who was tired of fighting higher-ups to get his ideas implemented.  Working together we used his Soul Search, Research and Job Search insights to update his LinkedIn profile and ensure it showcased his genius.  Via LinkedIn he was sought after for an executive role in a new industry where they appreciate his genius.  He is thriving and being thanked almost daily by the CEO and members of the executive team for his contributions.  This kind of career happiness and success are possible for you too.  Contact me to figure out your core genius and make it your path!

(Genius Photo courtesy of flikr user Denise Krebs.)