One of PebbleStorm’s core ideas is “Unique Genius”. I believe that everyone, and each company, has one, whether or not they know what it is or can harness it (yet).
[Update: visit www.UniqueGenius.com for a series of free Unique Genius videos]
Your life purpose is to help others by sharing your inner self – but what does that mean? How does that take shape in the world? Here’s another way to think about it…
Your Unique Genius inspires you. It is a mashup of your talents and enjoyments, done in a way that adds meaning to your life by making a difference for others. For example, all the things I’m great at and enjoy doing (coaching, writing, sales, etc.) combine into “helping people make money through enjoyment”, which inspires me!
What are your favorite ways to put your strengths to work in ways that help people with their problems or make a difference? Once you have at least some direction on this, you can begin to build a business around it. Yes, it will take time, likely longer than you want, but how will you get there if you don’t start in the first place?
By the way, I find the most common roadblock to people tapping into this incredibly powerful source of inspiration is the phrase “but I could never make money at that…”. Don’t worry about the making money part quite yet.
Why it’s so important
Your Unique Genius inspires you, intrigues others, and gives your Dream Business (or Dream Work) resonance and direction. If your Dream Business was a car, your Unique Genius would be the limitless fuel that powers it. So unlocking your Unique Genius is a key part of manifesting your Dream Business.
The resonance of your message should attract other people to you, either as customers or champions. Keeping it simple is important, because you’ll use it to introduce your work to people. When you share your Unique Genius with someone who’s relevant to what you’re doing, they should be intrigued by it, even if they don’t understand what it is yet. You don’t need to explain what you do first – just get them interested enough to want to know more.
Finally, a clear Unique Genius is something that keeps you on track, like a compass, even when things are hectic or you’re feeling lost. I know that if I’m stressed with work, I can’t be making money through enjoyment, so something is wrong and I’m not following my own advice!
Unique Genius and life purpose
A Unique Genius is similar or the same as a life purpose, but I specifically like “Unique Genius” because it emphasizes that 1) everyone is unique in their own way, and brings their own “voice” to life and work, and 2) people do have a form of genius, even the ones that don’t recognize it yet.
The more clear you can get on your Unique Genius the easier your path will be to creating your Dream Business. Things will flow more easier – ideas, projects, customers, audiences, income…
I really like this article on finding your life purpose: “How The Matrix Can Help You Discover Your Life Purpose”
Why it pays to be unique
Rather than thinking about how broad your talents and passions are, instead, ask what is a specific purpose in life to which you can apply them, meaningfully? A purpose brings focus and meaning to your enjoyments and talents. It’s not an easy question, but when you start asking this question, answers will come.
When describing your business and genius, try it in terms of “the result you create for others” rather than “what you do.” People care more about what you can do for them than what you do. Here’s a personal example: “I do sales consulting” versus “I help sales organizations create predictable revenue” (www.CEOFlow.com/services).
How you know when you’re in the zone
There is no “right” answer to what a unique genius is or how it’s described. However, here are some guidelines:
- It authentically inspires you
- It offers direction as a guiding principle or compass
- It intrigues others
- It is simple
These are also roughly in order. For example, first figure out what inspires you before trying to simplify it or to inspire others.
Note that “it is clever” is not on the list – it doesn’t have to be tricky or clever. Start simple and meaningful, such as “help people express themselves through sculpture”, “motivate children to learn” or “bring happiness to seniors with pets”. Expect it to evolve over time.
Real examples
- Aaron Ross: “Make money through enjoyment”
- Salesforce.com, “No software”
- Yanik Silver, www.MaverickBusinessAdventures.com and his blog: “Make more $, have more fun, give more back”
- Steve Pavlina, www.StevePavlina.com: “Personal development for smart people”
- Tony Wong, www.DigitalOnionInc.com: “Create the possibility of a world that works”
- Max Simon, www.GetSelfCentered.com: “Instill some stillness in the world”
- Amy Applebaum, www.BootcampForYourMind.com “Help people create lives they can’t wait to wake up to”
- Kacy Paide, www.TheInspiredOffice.com “Creating the Centerpiece of Your Success”
Sample questions to help you crystallize it
I’d suggest taking a blank page, picking a single question, and starting to brainstorming without trying to think about it too much. There’s also a link at the bottom of the post to a worksheet with more questions. Because your Dream Business is the manifestation of your Unique Genius (which in turn inspires and powers your Dream Business), the same questions are useful to reflect on them both.
- If you could do anything for work, what would it be? (Including the “I could never make money at that…” things)
- Assume you have plenty of money and don’t have to work, but wanted to do something meaningful with your life…what would that be?
- What are your favorite things to do?
- How would you like to mash them up?
- If you could help any kind of person, who would you help?
- What did you want to do when you were 8 years old, and why?
- What is your superpower(s)?
- What do people come to you for real advice on?
- What are your hobbies?
- If you could make a difference in the life of someone you don’t know by writing a note or book, how would they be different after reading it?
Here’s a sampling of “my enjoyments” that I listed out, as a way to kick the process off. Of course I didn’t do the sketch until much later 🙂
Don’t worry about other people
The future of work is about collaboration rather than competition. Even if two people seem to have similar Unique Geniuses now, over time they both will evolve in different directions, and are more likely to end up helping each other than competing.
Also, your Unique Genius isn’t just what you do for people – it’s also how you do it. Let’s say two people both describe what they do as “motivate children to learn”. One might do it through videos with puppets, another through creating fun learning games. There are infinite ways to be unique in what and how you do!
More: Unique Genius worksheet
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