When I read The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks and his concepts of the Upper Limit and the Zone of Genius, I found these ideas revolutionary, and his practical advice incredibly powerful, yet it also raised questions it didn’t answer, at least for me. I finished the book moved and inspired, yet still missing something critical I needed to resolve before I could move forward and truly remove my hidden barriers (limiting beliefs) and embrace my own zone of Genius.
I was grateful to him for bringing us this far, and giving us these concepts and terminology to build on. But I began to look elsewhere for further insight on how to truly address the hidden barriers at their fundamental level. Because upon first really digesting all of these concepts I found myself feeling freedom in understanding them, but also not feeling immediately liberated from these limiting beliefs. I needed something more to help me to truly receive and internalize them.
I kept asking myself:
How do we stop feeling fundamentally flawed and realize we are worthy?
How do we internalize the truth that by becoming more fully ourselves we will lift others up, not leave them behind?
How do we truly get past feeling like a burden when we are successful and happy, or trying to be?
How do I free myself from the crime of outshining others, that I’ve felt since my youth?
I knew that once I had answered these, I could circle back around to his zone of Genius, and his intriguing thoughts about the nature of time. I needed to find true peace with being happy and successful, with fulfilling my potential, before I could move forward with his steps for finding and living in my zone of Genius.
After about a dozen books, I found my answer in The Power of Intention, by Wayne Dyer. For some reason the way he talked about it just clicked for me. Here is my attempt to explain the three truths that came together for me, and that I’m eager to share with you now that I’ve found them.
#1 You are a Divine Creation and Share the Divine Nature
The first big truth in the book builds on the fact that you are a divine creation, and the same spirit that is Intention is also in you. He lists seven primary characteristics of Intention which are creativity, kindness, love, beauty, ever-expansive, unlimited abundance, and receptivity, and he says the divine energy of the Universe that is all of these things is also in you, and you function based on these same rules and are heir to these same characteristics.
He gives examples from nature, etc. Basically just as this spirit resides in nature and exhibits inherent beauty and is always growing and expanding, so too we have this spirit in us and we also inherently embody beauty and are designed to be constantly growing and expanding, and loving, showing kindness, being creative, etc.
Dyer says that as you awaken to your divine nature, you’ll see beauty everywhere, and “the creative Spirit brings things into the world of boundaries to thrive and flourish and expand. And it wouldn’t do so were it not infatuated with the beauty of every manifested creature, including you.” (pg 51)
When you are connected to God, to the field of Intention, to the divine energy and spirit which is your Source, you see the characteristics of Intention, of Spirit, everywhere you look.
He goes on to talk about expansion and gardens, and says
“The all emerging universal force that intended you into beingness and commences all life is always growing, and perpetually expanding. As with all seven of these faces of intention, by reason of its universality, it must have a common nature with yours. By being in an ever-expanding state and growing intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually, you’re identifying with the universal mind.”
Wayne Dyer, The Power of Intention, page 52
Do you see how once we really get that we are part of spirit, intended by it, flowing from it, connected to it, once we get that, and then we consider its nature we have to accept the same truths as our nature too?
God is love. So are we. The universal mind is kind. So are we. The life force of nature is always expanding and growing. So do we. And Intention is endlessly abundant, and so are we.
That was the first big truth. The second is that you are infinite.
#2 You are an Infinite Spiritual Being
Dyer explains that we “emerged from a universal field of Creation” that he is calling intention. We are from something that is infinite, and thus our true nature is infinite. He explains that the life we see is temporary, but what is true is infinity and that our connection with Intention (God, the Universe) connects to everything that is infinite.
You are an infinite being, having a human experience.
He says “this is an enormous inner shift that eliminates fear of death and connects you permanently to the infinite Source of Creation that intends everything from the world of infinite Spirit into a finite world.
Understanding this at first is difficult, part of your mind (your ego) will resist it, but the other part of your mind (your soul) knows this and recognizes it as truth.
You are an infinite being, having a human experience.
This understanding removes the fear of death and the grip of the ego. When you receive it, it will truly shift your overarching framework in how you think about life. When I read this part of the book (chapter 6) I could feel something shift in my thinking, and my thoughts and emotions are different now about life and death, meaning and purpose.
When you truly ‘get’ this you will be a serious step closer to owning your personal power, because death will have no hold over you.
#3 You are a Piece of God
This is arguably the same as number one above, but I found an important distinction I want to make here. Dyer talks about being a host vs a hostage. We are conditioned by the world to be a hostage to our ego, but when we choose instead to be a host to God, this means “always seeing your authentic connection to your Source”, knowing you cannot be disconnected, and enjoying an eternal connection to the Source, which is God, the divine nature in you.
The point is going to be that this results in self respect. I want to include a short passage from him on this, because I love how he relates it personally from his own experience and his thoughts about writing the book.
“As I write here each morning, I feel that I’m receiving words and ideas from the power of intention, which allows me to bring these words to this page. I trust in this Source to provide me with the words; therefor I’m trusting in the Source that brought me into this physical world. I’m eternally connected to this Source.
This awareness simply doesn’t include a lack of respect for intending this book into form. The conclusion I’ve come to is that I’m worthy of my intention to write this book and have it published and in your hands today. In other words, I respect the piece of God that I am. I tap in to the power of intention, and my feeling of respect for it enhances my respect for myself.”
So, by loving and respecting yourself, you’re hosting God and inviting the energy of Creation to your consciousness, to your daily life, as you connect to the power of intention.”
– Wayne Dyer, The Power of Intention, pg 135
I think there is true freedom in this for us if we choose to receive it. It’s time to throw off false pride, and fake humility and concerns about ego or worthiness, and boldly accept our identity as daughters of God, and divine beings.
As Marianne Williamson says, “The world needs healing desperately, like a bird with a broken wing. People know this, and millions have prayed. God heard us. He sent help. He sent you.
It’s time to get over ourselves, accept our connection to spirit, our identity as spiritual, infinite beings, inspired by God, and boldly offer to the world the gift that has been given us for them.
You are worthy to be awesome, you are equipped with awesomeness. Receive the truth about who you are and receive the truth that in order to walk in this place, this calling, this truth of who you are, you need to reject the limiting belief that you’re flawed or unworthy or a burden, and that you’re going to leave others behind or somehow make them feel bad.
It is time instead to repeat Gay Hendricks’ mantra “I expand in abundance, success, and love everyday, as inspire those around me to do the same.
This is your purpose, this is your calling. Expand, grow, love, extend beauty, joy, peace, whatever your gift or skillset is, offer it to the world in a spirit of love and power, knowing that you are a divine creation, an infinite spiritual being, a piece of God.
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