Your strengths are tricky.
I used to think I was a great writer, but I’m really not.
There are many better writers than me, but what helps me sell books and courses, and grow my blog is my passion for my subject, not the quality of my prose.
Art is also a passion of mine. There is something amazing about taking a blank canvas (blank page) and turning it into something that makes people feel something.
In college, I once wrote a paper breaking down a piece of art from Rembrandt.
I broke down each area of the painting. From the hand gesture of the woman laying in bed to the expression on her face. I handed in my paper and when I got it back I saw that my professor got to the second page and then marked a bold red line under the first paragraph.
He wrote, “I can no longer edit this paper. The grammar is terrible, but the thoughts are excellent.”
He gave me an A-.
He saw my vision and rewarded me appropriately.
Passion First
I believe that work happiness is one of the most important things any person can strive for in their career. I’m on a mission to help as many people as I can unlock their superpowers so they can work happier. That means conveying my ideas through writing.
I can’t let my writing skills hold me back from being great. With that being said, I truly enjoy writing and I do it to get my ideas out into the world. I’ve turned myself from a terrible writer into a good writer. It has become a strength because of the amount of hours I’ve put in. It’s easily over 10,000 hours. I now consider writing a superpower of mine because it combines passion, focus, and strength.
Work happiness is my passion and I use writing (which comes easy to me and gets me in the zone) to reach more people.
I’m never going to write the next great novel, but I am able to convey ideas that get people excited about taking action. That’s even more beautiful to me than writing the next great novel.
Superpowers
That’s why I always tell my coaching clients to start with work they are passionate about and add actions that come easy to them (strengths) as well as actions that they get lost in and it feels like time doesn’t exist (focus) to make sure that they achieve great results.
When your motivation wanes, (and it will) it’s this larger-picture thinking that will get you back on track more than task-oriented thinking If you can focus on why you are doing the work instead of focusing on just the task, it will become easier to stay motivated.
That's how you unlock your superpowers and take your career to a new level. The whole you instead of just your strengths.
Your Turn
Do you think about why you are doing a project to motivate yourself and help you get focused? If so, would you be willing to share your passions?
I agree with every thing you say - neither will I write the great American novel. But I enjoy knowing that I've put something out there for the world to see and it may be of interest to even one person.
Bob
Hi Bob! That's the basis of all great projects. Putting something out into the world that makes a difference. Check back in and let us know how it's coming along.