Guest post by by Cass Mullane, Accountability Coach, Right-Brain Business Plan® Licensed Facilitator, Prosper Creatively, LLC

I have a friend who is an amazing chef. She learned from a very young age how to bake and to cook from her grandmother and has honed her skills over the years. She describes cooking and baking as being “in her bones” meaning it is something so ingrained that she simply takes it for granted.

I asked her to cater an event at my studio and we made it a bit interactive so attendees could literally build their meals in various food vessels. (I am an artist, after all!) My friend explained each ingredient and how various items would pair beginning with appetizers, through main course options and desserts. At the end of the spread the desserts included a tray of fresh strawberries hollowed out and ready to be filled. My friend reached the strawberries and said, “This bag is filled with a wonderful chocolate mousse. Just pipe it into your strawberries and enjoy.”

As the event progressed and people started heading for desserts, she realized that the chocolate mousse bag was getting smushed in the middle instead of being twisted and kept in shape. She realized that what was “in her bones” was not necessarily in everyone else’s bones. It made her think about how she could better communicate what she considered second nature.

So, what gifts and skills are in YOUR bones? What do you do that feels completely natural? What do you do effortlessly? What is second nature to you yet you’re surprised when others cannot do it easily?

When you’re working in your zone of excellence you’re in flow. And everyone has their own zone of excellence. Your job is to identify what it is that puts you in the zone and to spend as much time there as possible.

Your job is also to OWN your zone of excellence. Please do not discount your gifts and skills, do not minimize them. Instead, recognize that this is what makes you strong and this is what makes you unique. You can always draw on these skills and they are solidly in your toolbox.

If you’re inclined to share your skills and gifts, learn how to do that effectively. Learn what is foundational and how to communicate it. Learn how to make sure the people you’re teaching feel empowered and gain confidence in their new learning. Make sure you know how to make your wonderful world open and welcoming to them.

And, from a business perspective, while you’re concentrating on working in your zone of excellence, let others take care of the things that are not in your zone. Ideally, you’ll seek out and hire people who are working in their zone of excellence to take care of the things that are not in your zone.

Chefs can make a meal look and taste spectacular and think nothing of it. Artists can create a work of art seemingly effortlessly. A business person can look at numbers and instantly understand what they mean. A software developer can write an app without even thinking about how to code.

What is your zone of excellence? What are you doing to pipe your strawberries?

Cass Mullane is an artist with an MBA. Cass’ calm, comfortable approach consistently yields positive results for clients. Her business and personal coaching practice, www.ProsperCreatively.com, specializes in delivering solid left brain business skills to right brainers and creatives in a fun, visual way. She’s a best selling author, textile and mixed media artist and creator of the Cool Stuff Jar™ coaching program. You can also visit Cass on Facebook!