Shifting Into God’s Zone of Genius
During an everyday moment with my kids in the car, God downloaded a life changing thought that resonated with me and helped shape how I coach with my clients. On this particular day, I was using Google maps to help me navigate to a destination I’d never been before. My kiddos were curious what would happen if we left the blue line of navigation; diverting from the path the app was telling us to take. After several questions, we arrived at the answer: Ultimately, no matter how many wrong turns you take, the blue line redirects. It creates a new path to the intended destination. You might have added time to your route, but it will eventually get you to your destination. You actually never left “the path.”
In a moment God brought another truth into focus: In life and in business, the destination is always the same. We are all on the path to heaven. It doesn’t matter which “blue line” we take, He is right there with us, blessing us along the way. Whether we are choosing a career path, accepting a promotion, starting a new business, creating a new LLC, our ultimate destination remains constant. And His promise doesn’t change! He will always be with us, every step of the way.
The Shift in Coaching
With this realization, I saw a shift in my coaching. Almost immediately, I had three major discussions with clients about what they were currently doing and what else God had for them. Knowing that He is always with us, always guiding us, the possibilities are endless!
After one of those sessions, a client commented “she challenges my beliefs of what I’m capable of.” Guiding other women through this kind of ah-ha moment is what God has designed me for. During one of those sessions, the client asked me to re-draw something on the board because she felt this was a defining moment in her life. I recalled that exact moment in my own walk that led me to becoming a life coach.
When He made it clear that this was what I was supposed to be doing, there was no hesitation at all in my heart. It was undeniable. It was what I was designed for.
My heart and my coaching is centered around supporting my clients to discover the same. And yet, I have found that often we can’t see all the possibilities. We get stuck and aren’t able to access all that God has put in us!
The Shift in Zones
In many of our journey’s as female entrepreneurs, there comes a point where success and achievement collide with a sense of restlessness. A nagging question echoing: "Is this it? Have I reached my fullest potential?" It's a whisper that nudges us to consider whether we're truly aligned with our purpose, whether we're living out the design God intended for us.
As successful individuals, we often find comfort in the "zone of excellence." And why wouldn’t we?! It's that beautiful space where accomplishments thrive, financial milestones are conquered, and life seems so fulfilling. But beneath that sense of contentment, you will often feel an unsettling—a sense that you might not be fully embracing the purpose you were meant to serve.
I want to take a moment to clarify something: being in the zone of excellence isn't a bad thing! It can be a place of significant impact and a foundation for doing good. In fact, whether we're operating in the zone of incompetence, competence, excellence or genius, God can use it ALL!
However, there's an incredible shift just waiting to be explored when we move from the zone of excellence to the zone of genius. It calls us out of comfort, it breaks boundaries and challenges our ideas of what we think we are capable of.
The Shift in Mindset
As I walk with my clients through making the shift from the zone of excellence to the zone of genius, there are a few questions that can help. These not only help you IDENTIFY your zone of genius but help you shift your mindset to seeking more than excellence in your life.
- What do I love to do?
This may sound like the most simplistic of questions, but as a successful female entrepreneur who is often juggling your business with your marriage, family, church and personal needs, it can actually be very hard to identify. Think about those things you can do for long periods of time without getting tired or bored. Gardening? Photography? Reading Novels? Don’t overthink it (cause I know that’s easy to do!), just answer the question honestly.
- What am I doing right now that feels like it’s working against me?
It should be a no-brainer to identify these, but again when we are used to flying solo and doing all the things, it can be difficult to really notice which tasks suck the joy from us. What are the things you just don’t love? What do I simply “get through” or even avoid because it brings little to no satisfaction?
- What makes me unique?
We all have a specific, divine gifting that is directly from our Heavenly Father. YOU are unique and designed for a purpose. Take a few moments to ponder the things that He put in you that are special. It might even be helpful to ask others who are close to you. Sometimes the people around us can see things more clearly.
- What am I interested in doing at a higher level than most people?
This question is huge when it comes to determining your zone of genius. It helps you identify that thing that without you, the world would be missing or have less of. It also can easily be overlooked because it often comes so naturally to us. We forget that it’s a skill or a talent that not everyone has.
As you find yourself working through these questions, you may struggle with slowing down long enough to process the answers. Use my free Eliminating Hurry guide here to help you slow down and connect with God.
The Shift in Focus
The beauty in recognizing our zones of excellence and genius is that it goes beyond our own capabilities. This leads us to actually focus on GOD’s zone of genius. The boundless possibilities that His plan has for our lives.
In our journey, it’s easy to barely scratch the surface of what God has created us for. However, when we lean into His design, His understanding and His aspirations for us, we can align with something much greater than we could ever imagine.
We see this in scriptures. Joseph was not a likely candidate for greatness. Betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery and unfairly imprisoned, you wouldn’t exactly have thought he’d someday be ruling Egypt. I’m sure he never imagined this destiny for himself; saw what all He was capable of. But God did.
And we look at David! This was a man who despite seeing God at work in his life over and over again, wrestled with bouts of self-loathing, despair and self-hatred. And yet, God. God brought the savior of the world from David’s bloodline. What a beautiful redemption story that went far beyond what David thought possible.
The enemy's goal is to keep us bound by our lowest moments, where hope seems a distant memory, where thoughts of God's beautiful plan for our life are overshadowed. But we have a choice! Instead of partnering with the enemy, we can shift our focus and lean into GOD’s zone of genius. When we trust in His plan, His wisdom, and His boundless potential for our lives, we can truly partner with God’s extraordinary plan, embracing His vision for us and surrender to the limitless possibilities for our lives.
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