“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”  Mary Oliver

James Hillman, in the Soul’s Code says that “just as the giant and majestic oak is embedded in the acorn, so a person carries inside them an active kernel of truth, or an image, waiting to be lived. The idea is not a new one - the Greeks had the word ‘daimon’ to describe the invisible guiding force in our lives, the Romans the ‘genius’.”

I read those words in 1996 and bought a ceramic symbol of an acorn…which hangs in my office today.  It reminds me that if I started out as an acorn…it makes no sense to try and be a pine tree…

That I must live MY life….as the GENIUS that I am (and so are you!).

Here are the 3 ways to name and claim your Genius.

#1:  It’s always been there.  What did you LOVE to do as a kid?  This seems to be a simple question.  It’s NOT.  It’s the most powerful clue to the essence of your genius.  Your essential self was still pretty intact and clear about what it truly loves.

#2. What was a pivotal, memorable experience you had regarding what you loved to do as a kid?  What was it about the activity that you loved?  I loved reading …it took me into new worlds and was something I could do in quiet and solitude.

#3.  What words and/or qualities describe that experience?

My example:  learning new things, being in the world of thought, quiet, solitude….and this is the quality of a large part of most of my days today!

Your Unique Genius is not about skills…it’s a powerful force that IS the very core of who you are.  It is the essence of what you love to do and do extraordinarily well. 

Would an example be helpful?  Here’s mine.  My Unique Genius is I energize possibility.  I express my Unique Genius by creating new programs and services.

Go ahead and draft up your Unique Genius statement –keep it to no more than 6 words or so….and don’t get stuck on getting it RIGHT…you can always change it as you get closer and closer to your essential self.

The feeling of using your Unique Genius is so powerful and motivating that you will find that you can’t wait to let go of anything that is not in your Unique Genius.  And THAT is focus.

Ann Ronan, Ph.D. is an author, speaker, and self employment expert.  For a free audio seminar “Ignite Your Entrepreneurial Spirit: 3 Easy Steps to Self Employment Success”, visit her site at http://www.authenticlifeinstitute.com.