On the fence about making the leap, because you haven’t found your ‘big idea’ for biz?

So you’ve been thinking about entrepreneurship for a while, and you know your job feels like a shirt that shrunk in the laundry, but you haven’t yet found that rockin’ blazer that’ll make you feel like “that’s the ticket”.

You don’t necessarily want to be the next Oprah or Bill Gates, but you definitely want to find something that feels just right to you.

I’ll tell you what though.

Whether you’re as loaded as our friends here, or whether you become a leader in your field (remember the Beatles?), the common denominator here is that massive success always starts with finding, and working with, your element.

It may sound obscure, but it’s quite simple.

Everyone in the world is unique, and everyone, without exception, has skills. Now this part gets tricky. It’s usually easier for folks with “passions” (full blown, braised fire, iron-hot passion) to find their element, because the sweet spot where their skills meet their passion is perhaps more obvious. Those are the NHL hockey players who’ve been agile skaters since they were 5, and who’ve lived and breathed hockey until they were hired by the Boston Bruins.

For the rest of the world, finding our element means finding where our skills meet our very serious interests (or our common/related curiosities). That may be less obvious, because if your interests aren’t all-consuming, they may not stand out to you.

So how’s a gal supposed to dig up her own diamond?

ELEMENT EXERCISE – PART 1

Start with listing childhood dreams and heroes, and adding current heroes. What do they have in common? What are their skills, their fields, or personality traits?

ELEMENT EXERCISE – PART 2

Then on a sheet of paper, draw 2 lists: your skills, and your passions (or serious interests, crushes, curiosities). Play matchmaker! Which combos can you make, whether traditional or creative?

You’ll start to notice trends, and fire up your brain with ideas.

Soon enough, your big idea will stare you in the face.

Here’s to your element! Share your discoveries below. 🙂