How To Discover Your Zone Of Genius

BY: Sandee Sgarlata

Every woman possesses a unique set of talents and abilities that, when fully harnessed, can elevate her impact and influence. However, it takes diving into a journey of self-awareness and empowerment to tap into your zone of genius – the place where your passions, strengths, and purpose converge to create extraordinary leadership.

Imagine you’re in a meeting room, surrounded by brilliant minds and influential voices. As the discussion unfolds, you find yourself passionately engaged, ideas flowing effortlessly, and your intuition guiding you with solid clarity. In those moments, you feel a sense of alignment, a magnetic force pulling you toward your true calling.

That, my fellow leader, is your zone of genius awaiting your recognition and embrace.

Discovering and embracing your zone of genius is crucial for your personal fulfillment and essential for making a lasting impact in your leadership journey. It is the space where your natural talents intersect with what brings you joy and a deep sense of purpose. When you operate from this place, your authenticity shines, your creativity soars and your ability to influence and inspire others reaches new heights.

After 33 years of self-discovery and working with clients, this is my formula for achieving and staying in the zone: Self-Awareness + Self-Love + Spirituality = Your Zone of Genius.

Self-Awareness

In my work as a Peak Performance Coach, I have found that most leaders are consistent in their zone of excellence at all times. However, they still become frustrated, stressed, overwhelmed, and may even experience bouts of anxiety.

There’s a simple explanation for this. According to the National Science Foundation, most people can have up to 60,000 thoughts per day. Of those, 80% are negative, and 95% are repetitive thoughts. It is no wonder why so many of today’s leaders are stressed and frustrated.

Finding your zone of genius is a personally transformative process. It requires introspection, exploration, and a willingness to challenge yourself. As I always say, "In order to grow, you have to be comfortable being uncomfortable." It also requires understanding your vibrational frequency and how your thoughts contribute significantly to your impact and influence.

Concerning your vibrational frequency, every time you have a negative thought, such as anger, frustration, shame, comparison, jealousy, regret, or greed, your vibrational frequency is at a low level. When you think and feel positive emotions, such as love, joy, pride, appreciation, abundance, success, confidence, courage, power, and gratitude, your vibrational frequency is at a high state - your zone of genius.

Thus, becoming self-aware is the ability to recognize and understand your thoughts, emotions, and beliefs. It is a necessary tool to understand better why you think, feel, and act the way you do. Understanding yourself then allows you to develop self-acceptance, recognize strengths, and work on areas that need improvement.

It can be challenging to practice self-awareness because it requires honesty and acceptance toward yourself. But taking time to observe your thoughts can help you better understand what influences your decisions, habits, and behaviors, while also enabling you to recognize harmful thought patterns or limiting beliefs that impede your growth.

Limiting beliefs can be detrimental to your life because they stop you from exploring possibilities beyond your comfort zone. They hold you back from making progress because you may doubt your capabilities, instill feelings of insecurity, be overly critical of yourself, and inhibit your ability to take risks. As such, becoming self-aware is also about managing your emotions.

I always say, "Life happens while you’re busy making other plans." When 'life happens,' this is when you need to pause, because what you are experiencing is real. When you have a negative emotion, stop and feel the feelings.

Allow yourself to absorb the feelings surrounding the situation that caused you pain, then focus on everything you have to be grateful for. When you practice gratitude, the negative feelings will dissipate, raise your vibrational frequency, and restore your peace.

Self-Love

Self-love is essential to a happy and satisfying life, yet it's often difficult to achieve, especially for women. Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to achieve a healthy level of self-love:

1. Take time to recognize your strengths, skills, and talents. What comes easily to you? Where do you consistently excel? Seek feedback from trusted mentors to gain a clear perspective and embrace these strengths.

2. Uncover your passions. What activities ignite a fire within you? What makes your heart sing and brings you immense joy? These passions will serve as guiding lights on your journey.

3. Keep a confidence journal. Write down everything you have accomplished and refer to this list often to remember to believe in yourself.

4. Be gentle with yourself. Talk to yourself like you would speak to a small child: with love and kindness. The journey you are on is about progress, not perfection.

Spirituality

Creating a spiritual practice is the last part of discovering your zone of genius. This is where it all comes together. This practice will enhance your ability to shift to a higher frequency:

1. Begin your day with meditation. Start with five minutes, and increase the length over time. Close your eyes and focus on the area between your eyes – your third eye. Next, imagine your best day ever. What does it look like? How does it feel? Focus on the incredible feeling of experiencing your fantastic day.

2. Have a mantra that you repeat to yourself frequently. I use the Ho’oponopono mantra “I love you. I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you.” This addresses every aspect to help raise your vibrational frequency at any time.

3. Embrace your intuition and gut feelings. Cultivate a deep connection with your intuition – the whisper within that offers guidance and insight beyond logic. Your intuition can be a powerful compass for discovering your zone of genius, so trust your gut feelings and let them guide your decisions and actions.

4. Practice deep breathing exercises by breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth while focusing on your amazing day. Try setting the alarm on your phone to remind you periodically.

As a woman in leadership, your zone of genius is key to unlocking your full potential and leaving a mark on the world. By embarking on this journey, you are stepping into your authentic power, ready to make a difference only you can make.

If you can commit to focusing on this formula for 30 days, new habits will be created, life will begin to flow effortlessly, and miracles will appear in your life. As brilliantly stated by my mentor and coach, Craig Siegel, “Remember, in life, you don't get what you want. You get what you are committed to.”

Welcome to your Zone of Genius!

About the author:

Sandee Sgarlata is a two-time award-winning and international best-selling author, a certified life coach since 2004, a professional speaker, Reiki Master Teacher, a retired U.S. national and international figure skating coach, and a gold medalist in ice dancing. She has spent the past 20 years helping people create lasting changes in their lives, and is also the host of the Happiness Solved Podcast, ranked in the top 1% globally.

As a thought leader, Sandee has over 30 years of corporate experience, has owned multiple businesses, and is known for her authenticity in leading and motivating teams. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management and a Human Resources Certificate. Her recent best-selling book, "Happiness Solved: Climbing One Hundred Steps," is a self-improvement book, part memoir, and workbook.

Find out more about Sandee:

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