Find The Triangle-Shaped Hole

Welcome to the Second Mix Podcast where we reflect, revise, and remix our lives. My name is Matthew Bennett. If you like what you hear today, please subscribe and give me 5 stars wherever you can, and IF you know of anyone who will find this content helpful, please join my mission and share this with them. At the end of this podcast there’s going to be a call to action -a call to take some little step to enhance your life – please join the Facebook Mastermind group Ideas and Concepts so we can keep talking about these ideas. The link is in the description.

Getting through the cycles of complexity that life throws at you is a challenge, but one that you can get through – and each time you get through a new challenge, you will be better, stronger, and wiser. 

I’ve narrowed down a list of everything it takes to get through these tough cycles, categories that you can look at, and say, if there’s a problem – it’s in one of these areas. The categories are Ethos, Intention, Efficacy, Agency, Adversity, and Elevation. 

Efficacy is your ability to produce an intended result, and that ability can be increased. This is now my favorite part of the cycle, where I get to roll up my sleeves, get my hands dirty, and dig into the information that is going to teach me how to get better, how to learn this, how to get through this. 

One of the major questions to ask yourself is, is this something I should be doing? So although you can do anything and learn anything, there is a way to speed up the process by being in your Zone of Genius. 

I just finished the book The Common Path to Uncommon Results, where John Lee Dumas calls this your Zone of Fire. I recommend reading this book if you want to get smarter, but with the warning that it did make my mind explode and I’m still picking up the pieces. 

If you are shaped like a triangle in that kid’s toy, find the triangle-shaped hole and fit in. Too often we see a hole somewhere, and we say – just like with the kid’s toy, “I’m pretty sure that if I try hard enough I can fit this triangle through that hexagon-shaped hole.” And then we waste time trying to fit it. 

I found my Zone of Genius in music. My singing voice is an acquired taste, and I learned how to play piano specifically to accompany myself singing. It turned out I was way better at playing the piano than I was singing. (If you want proof of this, look up Matthew Bennett on iTunes or Spotify – my City Lights album, or my So Far Behind Me album. I’m mixed in with the chamber music guy of the same name, so I’m difficult to find.) I kept trying to start bands as the lead singer, and I was stressed out all the time, trying to be a good singer and a functional keyboard player. 

My Zone of Genius came in when a band I really admired asked me to be the keyboard player. No singing required. And all of the sudden, I realized I loved, LOVED that idea. Come in, set up my keyboards, and play piano and organ all night long without worrying about my voice – my strength suddenly came into play, and I was at my best. That’s one way to find the zone of genius. I just stumbled across an opportunity. And I found a place where I could shine brightly.

Your Zone of Genius is the place that you are going to be at your best. Dumas says this is the place where your expertise and your passions intersect. This can change, as you build new skills, but right now, it’s good to identify it. I’m calling on Seth Godin right now to describe this for me, as it’s one of the best descriptions I have heard. 

Seth says, “Is it possible to adjust your life so that you show up more often in situations that bring out the best? Can you have an agenda, a rider or an itinerary that makes it more likely that the world around you is what you need it to be?

Because if you can’t, there’s one other option: Can you change your posture so that the situations you’re in a lot bring out your best instead of your worst?

Ideal situations are often rare—now more so than ever. But we can redefine ‘ideal situation’ if we choose. Set up your situation to bring out the best parts of you - whether you have to change yourself, or change your situation.”

Thanks, Seth Godin! Not only should we keep working on the skills we want, but we should put ourselves in situations where those skills are valuable. This takes some thought but it’s entirely achievable. 

Here’s something I don’t want: I don’t want this to be discouraging – if there’s something you really want to do, I want you to go after it with all your heart and mind and soul. If there’s something you want to be good at, go be good at it. It’s an easy excuse to say, “I could never have that because it’s just not me.” The point of this whole episode is that when you DO become good at it, find a place where that skill is needed. Find the place you fit in. Whether that place is physical, or the right community, any space where your expertise is valuable, go there, become a part of it, and interact. Not because you need something from them, but because they need something that you have to offer. 

First, you need this list. 

What are you really good at? What is your zone of expertise, excellence, competence? What are you really passionate about? Is there any way to mix these together?

What are you bad at that you truly want to get better at?

What are you bad at that you don’t really care about getting better at?

What do you want to do with your life?

I’ve created a PDF document you can download with these questions – print it out, take the time to fill it out. Give it some thought. I’ll link to the PDF in the description and in the Ideas and Concepts Mastermind group on Facebook, so you can download it and get to work. 

Let me know, in the Mastermind group where your Zone of Genius is, and if you’re feeling brave, tell us what you’re not good at. We will be nice, and you may even connect with someone there whose strength is your weakness. 

If you’re feeling really brave, fill out that PDF and email it to me, I’d be happy to look it over and make some suggestions about where your Zone of Genius, or Zone of Fire may be. 

Thanks for listening to the Second Mix Podcast, once again, I am Matthew Bennett. You can grab this transcript on the blog at secondmix.net. If you have any questions send me an email at matt@secondmix.net, I personally answer every email I get, and I want to talk to you! Please give me 5 stars whenever and wherever you can, subscribe to get notified about the latest episodes – and if you haven’t yet, please leave me a really nice review.  If you know anyone who might find this information helpful, please tell them about this show – I do this to help people.  I’m gonna be here every Monday and Thursday until non-fiction writers stop talking about the Marshmallow Experiment. 

Take steps that will make your week incredible.  I’ll be back on Monday –  this weekend continue reflecting, revising and remixing your life. I’ll see you soon!