Find the intersection, find your Nerd Zest
Have you heard the story of the Hedgehog and the Fox? There are a few variations on this story but the one that I like is the fox tries to eat the hedgehog by trying many different ways to catch him. The hedgehog simply balls up and foils all the foxes attempts. This is an example of knowing your strengths and using them every day.
The first time I came across this concept I was reading Good to Great by Jim Collins. He describes it as the Hedgehog Concept.
Although Collins was referring to businesses and how to determine a company’s strengths to be successful and competitive, I thought about this on a more personal level to apply to an individual.
The same 3 circles apply but I call them Passion, Talent, and Value. True nerds call this a Venn Diagram. The intersection of these 3 circles gives you a recipe for success and a guide to make future decisions about the kind of work you do and the career path to select.
The 3 Circles
Passion – What are you passionate about right now? What websites do you surf? What do you read? What posts do you read on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pintrest, etc…? Who do you follow? What hobbies do you have? Do you have any with your spare time?
The idea is to brainstorm as much as you can about your passions and interests to get it down on paper so you can see it.
Talent – What are your natural talents? What can you do better than others? What can you do that takes you less time to master? Do you have a copy of Strengthsfinder 2.0? If not, get one and take the test. Are you familiar with Myers Briggs, Big Five, 16 Personalities? These are all tests that you can take to discover what makes you you.
Take these tests and discover more about your natural talents and strengths. Read about what makes you unique and write it down.
Value – What will get you paid? This is the intersection of your passions and talents. This is where you will concentrate on finding your career, your business, your money maker. This part might take some time but at least you are thinking about it.
What skills, education, passion, natural talents, and interests will drive your income potential? Find a way to make the most money you can. Land a job with a high salary. Build a business with 7 figure income potential. Then, keep building, growing, learning, earning, and succeeding.
Putting it all together
Download a copy of my Hedgehog Sheet to get started. It’s free. Print it out and start writing things down. Just brainstorm and write the first thing that comes to your mind. Don’t worry about getting it right. There is no “right”, there is only what is factual and relevant to you.
Having this down on a sheet of paper, will allow you to “see” yourself like never before. This will guide you on all your future decisions about where you work, what jobs you take, what assignments you do, and what will allow you to work with Nerd Zest.
Try it out and post a pic of yours in the comments.