#MondayInsight:

If you’ve developed mastery in your work, there’s something you’ve probably become (perhaps painfully) aware of…

You can’t do your best work with everyone. In fact, you can’t do your best work with most people!

There’s a saying in the wine world: “You can make bad wine from good grapes, but you can’t make good wine from bad grapes.”

When a vineyard nears harvest, vineyard managers test the grapes every single day to find the perfect moment to start getting the grapes off the vine. They’re looking for the perfect acid/sugar balance, pH levels, and tannin and flavor development.

When the grapes reach that peak moment of perfection, it’s all hands on deck to get those grapes off the vines! That’s when you have the best possibility to make great wine with great grapes. In the best years, from the best vineyards, with master winemakers, the results can be astounding (can you tell I’m a geek for this stuff?!).

I think of delivering your mastery in a similar way (although, blessedly, the ideal window is wider than it is for picking grapes!)…

For you to deliver your genius, you need people with “peak readiness” who are ready for the genius you have to share.

And I’m talking about the genius that comes effortlessly to you—the genius that flows out of you when you’re fully engaged, in the flow, and you feel fully alive giving your gifts.

There was a particular day a while ago when I had client after client who were the perfect clients in the perfect state of readiness, and I felt like I was 100% “on tap.” Like 100% of what I had to offer was exactly what they needed and were asking for. And it was glorious. So. Much. Fun!

That day shifted my thinking about genius. Most of the time, we think of genius in a vacuum. It’s “your” genius, and you’re either utilizing it or not.

But in my experience (at least for people who serve people—not researchers in basements), my genius only comes alive when people in that “peak readiness” state work with me…

Which means that my genius, and most likely yours, is only elicited and activated in relationship.

So when it comes to doing your best work, it requires at least two things:

1. Your genius
2. Their readiness

When your genius meets their readiness, that’s when magic can occur.

WHY DOES THIS MATTER?

Your genius was never meant for you.

Your genius is here to be shared. It’s essential to your purpose and mission and is employed in the work of your calling.

You’re here for a reason, and utilizing your genius in service to your calling and mission is how that reason gets expressed.

Guarding your mastery and genius honors your calling, honors the people who are most deeply asking for what you’ve got, and honors the mission you’re here to fulfill.

Plus, living in your genius is a hell of a lot of fun. It’s when joy and fulfillment are at an all-time high.

And when you are giving your GREATEST VALUE, you can charge a premium for it and feel in integrity commanding your highest rates for your highest levels of service.

So, assuming you want to focus on working in and from your genius, what must be true in a prospect for them to get the best from you… and for you to have the most fun delivering it?

Take a look at the clients who have turned you on the most—the ones that utilized and called upon everything you’ve got!

Capture what each of those people have in common and whittle it down to the most essential non-negotiable traits.

But don’t keep that info to yourself—write about it, broadcast it, and enforce it in your sales processes.

Yes, you’ll have some people who will realize they’re not ready to work with you… but you’ll have others who will feel captivated by you, chosen by you, and ready to hop into your highest level work, willing to pay your highest level fees.