Laura Garnett - Find Your Zone of Genius: How to Redefine Intelligence, Become an Expert on Yourself, and Make Greatness a Given

I was watching yet another documentary about a super successful person (my favorite genre). This time, it was about Bill Gates, in the documentary called Inside Bills Brain . During the interview, Bill talked about how he knew as a kid that he had the ability to rapidly digest lots of information and synthesize it to come up with ways to solve really complex problems. The more complex, the more energized he seemed to be. He started doing this when he was eight. He was solving complex problems for schools and for other companies.

I watch documentaries like this all the time, and this was probably one of the most obvious examples of someone knowing what their genius isthe thinking or problem solving theyre best atvaluing it, and then using it all the time. In fact, he described being really obstinate and against rules. He fought regularly with his mother, and as he matured, he opted out of environments that prevented him from working in the way he wanted to, such as college. This way of operating is usually not considered good behavior, nor would it ever be suggested as the right path to success. Yet Bill is a multibillionaire; by our societys measuring system, hes one of the most successful men in the United States. Following societys direction was clearly not the right path for Bill, and its often not the right path for anyone who creates success that is aligned with who they really are. But what was more apparent to me in listening to him was that hes also successful in other ways most of us crave. Hes continually challenged by his work, so much so that he would do it for free. He also seems to be intrinsically motivated by the impact he is creating. Solving some of the worlds most notable problems, such as eradicating polio worldwide, creating a way to cut carbon emissions by 50 percent, and providing clean water for those who dont have it, are clearly linked to a rewarding feeling that hes helping people who cant help themselves. There is no doubt in my mind that Bill is fully operating in his Zone of Genius every day.

What I observed in the documentary was that Bill wasnt motivated by money or power; he was just doing the kind of thinking and problem solving that he wants to do every day while having an impact that is meaningful to him. This is what creates real success. You have to wake up wanting to do the work that you do because its fun, exciting, and rewarding, not because of the accolades, pay, or power.

It took me thirty-five years before I learned what it was like to have work that I loved in the same way I see in Bill. In fact, I dont just love my job; my work is an extension of who I am, and it pushes me to be who I want to be. It is my constant source of energy. When I was experiencing overwhelming sickness during my first trimester of pregnancy, my work gave me strength to carry on. I dont daydream about what I could be doing with my career or life because Im already doing it. I never thought it would be possible to feel this way about my job, but I do.

While what I just described may sound idyllic, it did not come easily. Creating a job Im intellectually challenged by and emotionally attached to required a lot of work. Ive always been ambitious, but I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life after college. Throughout my childhood, I was taught that the path to success was paved with good grades, college, and a jobany well-paying job. My parents rarely talked about prioritizing happiness or job satisfaction. What really mattered was financial security .

Even though I knew the rules I was supposed to follow, my path was a bit different. I spent two years after college exploring: I waited tables, moved to Holland to be an au pair, then came back home and started a masters degree in nutrition before deciding it wasnt a good fit after all. I hopped into other roles, eventually landing in the wine industry as an executive assistant to the CEO. The work wasnt very exciting or challenging, but I thought it was a stepping-stone to something that was: wine sales. However, the company downsized and decided to eliminate my job. Fortunately, a friend who was working for Capital One told me they were hiring and expanding rapidly. I took a chance and applied.

I was hired as a marketing manager. They offered me a salary I previously couldnt even have imagined, exponentially higher than anything I had earned before. I remember jumping up and down, screaming with joy and feeling like my life had just started. Capital Ones philosophy was that you could learn on the job, which was great because Id never done marketing before. Once I got there, I ramped up my efforts to succeed at the job, and I learned as I went. Eventually, I applied to join the marketing and analysis group, which at Capital One was the crme de la crme. I decided I needed to be in this top-notch department because it would look good on my rsum. It would also make me feel important and smartsomething I yearned to feel.

I was hired into the department and moved to Washington, DC. Within three weeks of my arrival, the management team decided to dissolve my group. But this was in the heyday of Capital One, so the restructuring was actually an amazing opportunity. If anything, it was a huge door opener, because my manager asked me, What do you want to do next?

I had the travel bug, so I answered, What are we doing internationally? How can I get on an international team? There was one small group in South Africa that was hiring, and two weeks later, I got on a plane. I lived in South Africa for two years. The group was highly entrepreneurial in the sense that we were building a business from scratch. Every day, I was tackling the jobs of twenty-five people back in the United States. It was a huge confidence builder for me, because I was thriving, I was excited, and I was adding value. On top of that, I met a guy, fell in love, and got married. He was also working for Capital One and living in South Africa for a short stint.