Creating a Course? How Your Genius Can Keep You Stuck

What’s your genius? Is it getting in the way of creating your course (or coaching program or product)?

At any given time, I get a front row seat watching hundreds of people in the process of creating a course, a product, or a next-level business. You would think that we would all move swiftly through this process of creating a course because on the other side of launching that course is everything we want:  freedom, choice, abundance.

But, creating a course doesn’t always go quickly. Sometimes it doesn’t GO at all….and you find yourself stuck.

Being stuck can make you feel inadequate. Like what you have to work with isn’t enough. Watching and helping others move through their “stuckness” has helped me notice where I get stuck, too.

Here’s the thing I’ve discovered: it’s not always our inadequacies that get us stuck. It’s sometimes over-use of our genius. 

I know, I am a big believer in living in your genius. And, yet, every leap I have made in my business has come through paying attention to the genius zone traps I can fall into.

Here are four zones of genius that you can easily get stuck in when creating a course that are worth taking a look at if you have ever struggled with getting to a finish line. Take a look and see if any of them sound familiar:

Living in The Genius Zone of Possibilities:
The Innovator

YOUR GIFT: creativity.

THE TRAP: You begin to work on a possibility and you can suddenly see 10 possibilities. And the thing you are working on becomes bigger and bigger and BIGGER until it feels overwhelming. And, it feels near impossible to slice off one piece of that big vision and actually get something finished.

SOUNDS LIKE: “I never finish anything”
“I have many programs and products (even businesses) I have started or created that have never been fully optimized.”

YOUR MOVE OUT OF THE TRAP: Put a visual where you see it every day.  Illustrate how creating your online course is the launch pad for the other opportunities you see. When new ideas show up, “park” them on the visual.

Living in the Genius Zone of Producing Results:
The Producer

YOUR GIFT: productivity.

THE TRAP: You are making great time but start to wonder if you are on the wrong road.  Your ability to get things done makes you a highly sought after producer of results. The people you serve (clients, boss) would rather that you keep working just the way you have because it works for them. And, this means you don’t have enough time to create what’s next because you are stuck fulfilling demands for what you do well now…you know, that thing that pays the bills.

SOUNDS LIKE: “I did it. Now, why didn’t it work?”
“I don’t have the time right now.”

YOUR MOVE OUT OF THE TRAP: Prioritize creating your online course as the most important piece of work to move you to your next level. Block time each week or each DAY. Now.

Living in the Zone of Perfection:
The Analyst

YOUR GIFT: Detail

THE TRAP: It’s easy for you to see the little things that others might miss. And, you can easily get immersed in pulling together so much information that it becomes difficult to see how to make it fit into an easily consumable product or program.

SOUNDS LIKE: “It’s not ready.”
“It’s too much, but I don’t know what to cut.”

YOUR MOVE OUT OF THE TRAP: Set a deadline. Choose your course launch date and work backwards from there. Recognize that your course will not be perfect when you launch. The people who join your course will be your ideal partners in taking it to the next level.

Living in the Genius Zone of Connection:
The Integrator

You learn through listening to others and you are a master at connecting. You invest time in brainstorming with other experts, you talk to clients, listen to your best friend and spend endless hours getting feedback on your ideas with the intention of creating something that all “your people” will LOVE. And, you find it’s nearly impossible to land on something that you feel hits that mark. Every conversation seems to send you into a new direction until you have no idea which way to go.

SOUNDS LIKE: “I’m not sure this is what my clients want.”

YOUR MOVE OUT OF THE TRAP:
Pay attention to your internal compass and focus on that point where your talent, your passion and your client’s problem intersect-that’s your sweet spot.

Creating a course, a product, a business…a life…is a process. You create something, you refine it and you move closer and closer to your definition of greatness  You won’t know what perfect looks until it comes to life.

The antidote to being stuck: Move.