A summary of things you should know about The Greatness Zone according to Jay Forte:

Introduction

In this episode Jay Forte takes a deep dive into his book, The Greatness Zone where he helps you know what you are good at, what you love and what is going on in your world.

In his book, Forte introduces this life-changing thinking in his compelling and heartwarming story of two kids in college. By following the stories of Mary and Mike, you will get to see the greatness formula in action which will guide you through the process of knowing yourself and finding your best fit in life.

This book is perfect for an entrepreneur who is bored with life, often listens to what others have to say, and does not know how to change things.

The Book’s Unique Quality (3:00)

An entrepreneur is somebody who is always watching for opportunities. I realized that the shift in the economy created a serendipitous moment for someone to guide other people in learning how to discover your core abilities and then connect them to the world. In The Greatness Zone we created it in story form so that not only would you learn how to do it but you’d see somebody in the book do it.

The Best Way To Engage (3:43)

My recommendation is to start at the beginning and read through to the end.

The Reader’s Takeaway (12:00)

The most significant concept is in order to succeed in today’s world the biggest thing we can do is learn to see things differently. And the way to see things differently is to realize that you have a unique advantage point. The moment you start to give it language about what it is and how you see things then you enter into a world that opens up to a huge amount of opportunity because you rule things in instead of rule them out. The clarity about you creates the ability for you to make great choices, to show up very confident and then to live courageously in the way you build ideas.

A Deep Dive Into The Book (4:36)

The story starts between two kids who meet in college who are in a freshman philosophy course. One kid has it totally together because her parents have given her the five rules for a really great life which turns in to the backbone of the book. She then explains this concept in a Venn diagram to a kid who sits next to her who has no idea why he is in college or what it is that he is supposed to study. These 5 rules show up on a Venn diagram that shows you that in order to know yourself you should know your abilities, your passions and your values. Mary has learned these rules because her family was determined that for them to be successful they should be totally present to who they are in their world. If you could know them and know their world they could always be able to connect the two and find a way to fit.

Mary introduces to Mike to the way that her parents showed her to figure out what she’s good at, what she loves and how to look at the world in a very different way. The idea is that if you know you and the world you will always be aware and capable of looking through the world for the things connect best to your unique vantage point.

As Mary shows Mike how to do it, Mike starts to do it himself. So as the reader sees Mike do it, the reader then starts to do it. You start to realize the things you are good at and what you’re passionate about and the things that matter to you. As you see that the real you develops and from that place you start to see and respect the fact that your view of the world is different than others.
Know yourself, find your fit and transform the world.

NOTE: That was just a summary. To get the full deep dive, play the audio clip at 04:36

Notable Quotes From The Book (13:08)

“To stand out you must be exceptional and not at everything because no one is exceptional at everything but everyone is exceptional at some things so identify those things.” – Jay Forte

“Most people play small because they don’t know they have the capacity to play great. What they miss is the self-awareness to know what their particular greatness is.” – Jay Forte

The Credibility/Inspiration Of The Author (0:38)

I am a certified life and workplace CEO coach, an author and a speaker. Prior to that I was a CPA and CFO for years and then realized that most of my career I was in the wrong place. I’m a big idea person that just needed an environment to keep inventing. Now I work around the workplace and around helping people discover what the big ideas in life are for them.

The Greatness Zone happened as a direct effect of the first book that I had written called Fire up your employees and smoke your competition. It came out of my time as an education director just at the time the economy was shifting out of an industrial agent to an intellectual age. It came out as a process book to say regardless of your age you should know what you are good at, what you love and what is going on in your world. So that you can know you, know your world and put the two together.

Other Books Recommended By The Author (16:19)

Purple Cow by Seth Godin

More Information About This Book and The Author

Buy The Greatness Zone by Jay Forte on Amazon today

Visit TheGreatnessZone.com to learn more about the book

Visit FireUpYourEmployees.com to learn more about Jay’s program

Follow Jay Forte on Twitter and Facebook

More Information About This Episode

Download the full transcript here (coming soon)

Listen on iTunes, Stitcher , and SoundCloud

Related books:
Powerhouse by Mike Clayton
The Happiness of Pursuit by Chris Guillebeau
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck

Relevant advice and tips:
10 Bad Habits That Successful People Avoid

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Wade Danielson

Wade is a 4-time serial entrepreneur and is the Founder/Host of The Entrepreneurs Library. With a long time passion for reading books, Wade created an online resource and podcast for entrepreneurs who love to read personal and business development books. His long-term goal in life is to start an entrepreneurial home schooling program for children of business-minded families.