Lessons for a Practical Genius
Lesson 1. Fear
Fear always seems bigger than it really is. Next time you experience a feeling of fear visualize a tiny drop of water and realize this is the actual size of
your fear. It’s minute and will dissolve in seconds when you add a dash of hope.
Lesson 2. Play
When your work is your play and your play is your work then and only then does life really begin for you. As adults we forget that at the end of the day it’s
about how much fun you had and about purposeful, vigorous play. Instead of counting your pennies begin to measure how much fun you have each day and set play goals for yourself.
Lesson 3. Creativity
Creativity is the new Black. Begin to unleash your creativity and be prepared for success to result. Doors you never knew existed will open for you,
new relationships will be born and most importantly you will experience new pleasure and rewards because of it.
Lesson 4. Explore
Don’t chase the dollar. Starting a business during a recession was not an easy undertaking and when I decided to just view my first year in business as a year of exploration, creativity and play, the money followed rather than me following the money. Huge lesson.
Lesson 5. Tribe
Relationships are more important today than anything else in your life. This year I focused on my relationships daily and the outcome was I was able to
rekindle a few old relationships while growing my tribe. Be mindful to care for your tribe, grow its membership and realize the sustainability of these
relationships must be a priority. There is nothing more important to me today than my tribe. Those that are reading, thank you.
Lesson 6. Mastery
Mastery of anything takes time, turtle steps in fact. I did a great deal of writing last year and realized with daily practice it became easier, richer,
less painful, and more fruitful. Be patient with your genius and never ever give up on the quest for mastery. The journey is worth it.
Lesson 7. Passion
Passion is infectious. This year I had the great honor of meeting several amazing people from all over the world—writers, inventors, musicians, business
leaders and celebrity entrepreneurs. What they all had in common was passion. There is something to learn about passion and sharing it with others—it’s contagious.
Lesson 8. Energy
This year I received hundreds of compliments and emails about “my energy” and have come to realize energy lives inside of each of us like electricity and it just takes putting in a bulb for each of us to be luminous. I was plugged into my true destiny this year and exuded an energy that helped me more than anything else. Realize you have a profound energy within you ready to be shared with the world.
Lesson 9. Story
As a storyteller who loves the art of the narrative, this year I told more stories than I have ever told and with each story I learned of another person’s story. Our stories are our currency. The more stories you share, the more wisdom you acquire as a result.
Lesson 10. Genius
The most valuable lesson I have learned is that genius lives at the point of intersection between your heart and mind, that sweet spot where your hard assets (strengths, skills, expertise, and body of work) and your soft assets (values, creative abilities, and passions) meet. Once you’ve identified your particular hard and soft asset ingredients and add a dash of self awareness, these sides of yourself begin to mesh and then the mastery of your genius can truly happen. Spreading this extremely vital, perfectly practical, madly contemporary definition of genius is my quest.
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