We all have the potentials to be great at one thing! According to Bill Gates, this one thing is that thing we are passionate about. I believe this, but i believe that passion needs to be better qualified. I was listening to Jim Collin lately, and heard an analogy that he gave that sank in the point.

There are 3 circles that should matter to every individual who desires success, or aspires to be great. These three circles define 3 areas of life, and it is the meeting point of these three circles that one’s shot at greatness lies.

Circle 1

This is the circle of talent. This circle is the circle that contains the things you are talented at. The things that you have a chance to be the best in the world if given time and attention. This is the circle that contains the things you are genetically wired to do. The things you are configured for, have a flair for and possibly do better than most people without much effort.

Circle 2

This is the circle of passion. This circle contains the things you are passionate about. These are the things you are willing to do for free all your life if money was not an issue. These are the activities that move you to excitement or the things that move you to tears. These are activities that touch on your emotions.

Circle 3

This is your circle of economic value. This is the circle that contains the things you can do in exchange for economic value. These are the things that you can write an equation of $/x around, where x are the items in this circle. These are profitable, self sustainable things that make sense to you and are in line with what you can see yourself doing.

The meeting point of these three circles is where you have a shot at greatness. The thing you will excel at, is that thing for which you have the genetic wiring (talent), passion and makes economic sense. The touching point of these three overlapping circle is your big opportunity.

If you have talent but no passion, you’ll never be the best in the world. If you have passion without talent, you’ll likely get frustrated when you site raw talent outdoing you without much effort. If you have both without economic value, it will lead to frustration as you won’t be able to continue for long.

Every attempt at self discovery should help in defining the elements in this circle and identifying where they overlap. You have what it takes to be great, you were genetically wired to have some special skills, your passion for your utilizing your talent to gain economic value is what guarantees your success. You will make it! The journey towards success starts from within. Take time, draw your circles today, and don’t be shy to ask for help. We need each other.