Welcome to another edition of the Introvert Millionaire Habits Newsletter!

This is where you’ll get up-to-date information on habits, productivity, solopreneurship, and financial independence. 

Here is what we’ll cover in today’s issue:

● 7 Steps to Find Your Zone of Genius

● 1% Better Life

● The Importance of Buying Assets Not Liabilities

● How to Build a Niche Site in 2024

● The Resource Roundup

● A Quick Poll

● Unlock This Free Stuff

Let’s get to it…

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📈 7 Steps to Find Your Zone of Genius

Sometimes we all feel like we’re not living up to our full potential.

Sure, you get up and do what needs doing.

But it’s easy to have those nagging thoughts of, “I could do so much more with my life.”

If this sounds familiar, then one framework that might help is to discover your Zone of Genius. 

By tapping into your natural talents and passions, and using them to find fulfillment, you can move toward living your best life.

In today’s featured article, I’ll explore this framework and provide a 7-step process for implementing it in your life.

Background of The Zone of Genius

The term, Zone of Genius, first came to light in Gay Hendricks' The Big Leap book, in 2009. In it, Hendricks outlines the need to reflect on our lives, be it at work or home, and pinpoint the areas in which we truly excel.

Hendricks suggests we categorize the different aspects of our lives into:

● The Zone of Incompetence - the tasks we’re neither good at nor enjoy

● The Zone of Competence - the things we do to a satisfactory level but no more

● The Zone of Excellence - the activities we do to an outstanding level due to developing the necessary skills

● The Zone of Genius - the all-time-high, where passion meets talent and creates a seemingly effortless execution

By doing this, we’re able to gain a better understanding of our strengths and weaknesses. And in turn, see where we can offer the most value with our Zone of Genius.

Hendricks stated (in an interview with Forbes), that most successful people will only work to the point of excellence. That’s often enough for them to be recognized for their effort or ability. And any need to feel satisfied is swept under the carpet.

But what if you want more than that?

By discovering your Zone of Genius, you can find genuine fulfillment in what you do. You can reach our highest potential. Your tallest mountain.

And a greater happiness than you thought possible.

Now, let’s talk about how to apply this technique to your life. 

7 Steps to Finding Your Zone of Genius

Finding your Zone of Genius might feel like an overwhelming task. Even the word genius might seem a bit extreme, as very few people brand themselves as exceptional in any way.

But having the confidence to say “I’m really good at this” is important. It’s how you stand out in life; how you make your mark on the world.

And using these 7 steps to find your Zone of Genius will help you to do that.

#1. List Your Skills

The first step is to make a comprehensive list of all the skills you possess.

This could be technical or non-technical, instinctive or learned.

This exercise will encourage you to look deeply at your strengths and capabilities.

Some examples of potential skills are:

● Energetic

● Friendly/empathetic

● Good planner/organizer

● Good attention to detail

● A flare for graphic design

● Confident decision-maker

● Fluent in multiple languages

From your list (which will likely look very different), you can pinpoint which skills bring you happiness and fulfillment.

For example, you might love making on-the-spot decisions but begrudge designing pretty flowcharts.

#2. Identify Your Passions

As we’ve already established, it's not enough to just be good or even excellent at something when searching for your Zone of Genius.

You also need to figure out what topics or activities you feel passionate about. By finding your zing, your reason to jump out of bed, and integrating it into your daily life, you’ll find a new level of happiness.

You may feel passionate about:

● Photography

● Staying active

● Doing charity fun runs

● Reading self-help books

● Planting your own crops

● Passing on your know-how

#3. Look at Past Successes

We all like to reminisce about the good times. And, this can be a helpful thought process when searching for your Zone of Genius.

By reliving past projects and experiences where you felt a deep sense of satisfaction or accomplishment, it’s easy to highlight the common traits or strengths used.

You may note that you consistently:

● Felt positive

● Remained calm

● Went above and beyond

● Thought outside the box to solve problems

#4. Ask for Feedback

It can be difficult to assess your own life and situations. You might not necessarily see the great qualities you bring to the table. Or you may feel awkward about bigging yourself up.

Asking others for feedback is a great solution to these problems. Choose individuals who you know will look at situations objectively. And speak to multiple people to get a better overall response.

They could include:

● Co-workers - particularly great for work-related feedback

● Friends and family - a good choice for personal input

#5. Use Personality or Strength Quizzes

Personality or strength quizzes can offer some interesting insights into what makes you tick. And the good news is, they’re easily accessible with a quick web search.

However, it’s important to recognize that while these quizzes can help you identify particular strengths and talents, they shouldn’t be solely relied upon. Instead, consider them as just one piece of the puzzle.

To get started, you could use Truity’s Typefinder Personality Test.

#6. Map Out Your Skills

After collecting information from the multiple sources mentioned, it’s time to map out your skills. And using a Zone of Genius chart will help you to do that.

Every skill or ability you possess will fit into one of these categories:

● The Zone of Incompetence

● The Zone of Competence

● The Zone of Excellence

● The Zone of Genius

It’s important to be honest with yourself when working to identify your Zone of Genius, which, as you can see from the chart, is a harmonious balance of your time and talent.

#7. Nurture Your Zone of Genius

Now that you understand your Zone of Genius, it’s time to nurture those all-important qualities.

You could try:

● Setting goals - look for new projects that align with your skills, or try allocating some time to study

● Looking for new opportunities - you may need to step outside of your comfort zone for this one but rest assured, you do have the skills needed to chase new opportunities

● Work with others - people who share your passion can help you to develop your Zone of Genius

● Embrace failure - you won’t get it right every time, but you can learn from every lesson

● Focus on self-care - you can only work at your best when feeling rested, so be sure to block out your calendar for some ‘You’ time

Final Thoughts on Your Zone of Genius

If life is feeling a bit stagnant right now, finding your Zone of Genius may help to get things flowing again.

By working through your skills and pinpointing which ones bring you happiness, fulfillment is entirely possible,

So, take a step back and reflect on what truly brings you joy.

Is it writing?

Painting?

Helping others?

Building a business?

Whatever it may be, embrace it.

And allow yourself to learn more about yourself through the Zone of Genius framework.

⚙️1% Better Life

Today’s 1% improvement focuses on the simple process for capturing every idea that pops into your head. 

Side Note: 

Do you have a 1% improvement that can help other readers?

If so, reply back with a brief overview and I’ll feature it here.

In return, I’ll link back to your website, product, or service.

💲Wealth Building Wisdom

One of the cornerstones to building lifelong wealth is to focus on buying assets instead of liabilities. 

As Robert Kiyosaki famously said:

The truth is most people spend almost (or all) their money on the following:

● Food

● Housing

● Fancy gadgets

● Entertainment

● Transportation

● Lavish vacations

● High-interest loans

● Name-brand clothes

While some liabilities, like a mortgage, can be seen as a necessary expense, the key is to manage them wisely and avoid those that offer little to no return on investment.

On the other hand, luxuries like expensive cars, the latest gadgets, and extravagant vacations can also fall into the liability category if they significantly detract from your ability to invest in assets.

Now let’s talk about the other option.

An asset is something that puts money in your pocket; it can appreciate over time and potentially generate passive income.

Examples of assets include investments like:

● Building an online business

● Buying a real estate property

● Putting money into an index fund

● Investing in dividend-paying stocks

● Creating products that generate royalties

All these options don't require your day-to-day involvement to earn a profit.

These are the tools that can help build your net worth and provide financial security.

The philosophy of buying assets over liabilities is about making money work for you rather than you working for money.

It's about creating and maintaining a portfolio of income-generating assets that can sustain your lifestyle and grow your wealth over time.

This approach requires discipline, as it often means foregoing immediate pleasures for long-term gains.

So my question for you today…

Where do you spend most of your money:

On assets?

Or

Or liabilities?

💡 Solopreneurship Spotlight

Over the past five years, the majority of my income has been generated from running a handful of niche sites.

It has been a great business, but it also has its pitfalls.

Specifically, it’s easy to become overly reliant on search engine traffic from Google. (Which is a mistake that I’ve personally made.) 

That’s why I recommend Sean Ogle’s article about how to make a niche site in 2024. 

Here he provides a step-by-step process for building a niche site that has a diversified source of traffic.

It’s a lengthy read, but I think it’s well worth the time if you’re willing to work hard to build a lasting business.

🗂️ The Resource Roundup

🕳️ When You’re Already in Too Deep – Rahul Chowdhury explores the psychology behind the sunk cost fallacy and how it affects decision-making in our lives. He explains how we often feel compelled to continue investing in something, whether it’s time, money, or effort, simply because we've already put so much into it—despite knowing it may not be the best choice.

🙂 The Happiness Trinity – This article encourages readers to rethink conventional wisdom about happiness, marriage, and financial satisfaction. It delves into research findings that suggest while marriage and money can influence happiness, their impact varies greatly depending on individual circumstances and values.

🗒️The CEO Scorecard Building System – I personally use a weekly scorecard system in my business, but Matt Gray takes it a step further with his CEO Scorecard Building System, a practical tool for tracking and evaluating business performance. The system breaks down key metrics across various areas of your business organization to help you hold yourself accountable and grow your business, increase profits, and streamline sales.

➖ The Self Improvement Paradox: Why Achieving More Can Make You Feel Less – Are you trying to improve yourself but feel too stressed out? This article suggests tips to help you find the right balance between striving for self-improvement and avoiding burnout.

♻️ Why Getting Rid of Things Can Change Your Life – Researchers found that reducing physical clutter in your environment positively impacts your mental health and overall life satisfaction. This article from Psychology Today shares some tips to help you reap the benefits of decluttering your home.

❓A Quick Poll

Before we close things out, I need help with another poll.

To improve the quality of this newsletter, I would like a quick bit of feedback.

Can you take a few seconds and let me know which of the following sections you enjoy the most in this newsletter?

Well, that’s it for today.

I hope you’re having a great start to the week!

Talk soon

Cheers,

Steve Scott 

P.S. Whenever you’re ready, here are a few ways I can help you:

#1. 90 Days to Your #1 Goal: How to Achieve a Breakthrough Goal in Under 3 Months: Whether it's starting a business, getting in shape, or writing a book, this course is your step-by-step framework to make it happen.

#2. Steve on Twitter: Get up-to-date messages and threads. I publish a few times a day on this platform.

#3. What is Your #1 Challenge?: Are you struggling with something specific? If so, can you take a few minutes to answer this one-question survey. It's a simple question, but your answer is a big deal. This will help me create reports, guides, and free content that tackle your biggest challenges.

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