Are you nearing the end of your career? Looking for a new career? Planning on recareering into retirement? Ultimately, it is not about the work that we do or have done, but it is about whether or not our work is aligned with what Dick Richards calls “your genius.”
In his book Is Your Genius At Work? he uses this term to identify the unique intersection between what you are good at (your gift) and what you love to do (your passion). Once you have identified your unique gift and passion, the challenge is to find that elusive intersection between your gift and an “unmet need” in the world so that you can make a living at it. Once you have found this intersection of gift and passion, you will be able to confidently move toward creating opportunities that meet that need.
If you can get your gift and passion in alignment with a need, suddenly work becomes more like play, especially in retirement. This is genius. Many boomers are re-careering using this mindset.
Where do you gift and passion align with a need? What will you do with this information?