What is Your WHAT? Discover the One Amazing Thing You Were Born to Do

But, if you're dissatisfied with the work you do, or if you feel that there's something else you're supposed to be doing with your life but don't know what it is, you may find this book useful. According to the author, there's a simple, three-step process that people have followed throughout history to achieve greatness. First, identify your natural talent. Second, identify the best vehicle for sharing that talent with the world. And last, identify the audience who will benefit most from your talent.

Sounds simple enough. But if this were easy to do, we'd all be working in our dream jobs and living fulfilled and happy lives!

Fortunately for us, the author takes this simple framework and divides it into "baby steps." His approach requires work on our part, because we have to do some serious thinking along the way. But, readers who invest time in this process of self-discovery may well discover their most useful talent by the end of the book.

Steve Olsher has more than 25 years' experience starting successful businesses. He's the author of the best-selling book, "Internet Prophets," and the creator and founder of the ReInvention Workshop.

So, keep listening to learn how to better understand who you are, one simple principle that can help you make better choices, and the seven questions you need to ask to find your best talent.
"What Is Your WHAT?" is divided into three parts, with 18 chapters. This is the kind of book that needs to be read slowly, so don't expect to finish this one in an afternoon. There are plenty of exercises and worksheets to go through, and if you skip these, you're going to miss out on the self-discovery that makes this book so valuable.

The book is also filled with inspiring case studies, from big names like the motivational writers Jack Canfield and Guy Kawasaki, to people from the author's coaching sessions and workshops.

"What Is Your WHAT" starts off by helping you identify your strengths, and your self-imposed limitations. To do this, the author uses a tool called the Four Stages of Learning, which is also called the Conscious Competence Ladder. This is designed to help you understand why you do well in certain aspects of your life, and fall behind in others.

The stages move from unconscious incompetence, through conscious incompetence and conscious competence, to unconscious competence. This last stage is where you have the skills and abilities to achieve your desired results, and you don't have to think about it.

The point of the Four Stages of Learning is that unless we can move out of Stage One and towards Stage Four, our life will be run on autopilot. We won't grow. And, we sure won't realize our one true talent.

Next, the author introduces a tool he calls the Vortex of Vulnerability. This helps you get a better look at who you are and why you do what you do. There are three steps in it.

First, think back to three recent times in your life when you "lost it." By this, we mean when you got really upset and yelled at someone, or lost control and sent a nasty email. If that doesn't sound like you, think of a time when you deliberately failed to return a phone call, or held back on giving praise when it was expected and deserved.

Write down what set you off, and how you felt physically when you lost control or failed to live up to your usual standards of behavior. Understanding this can help you stop reacting automatically to similar events.

Next, think about three moments in your life that had life-altering ramifications. These can be positive or negative. But, they need to be events that you think shaped who you are today.
Think about how you felt in these moments. How did these events turn into parts of your character? How did they influence you? Write these down.

Last, consider how you think the world sees you, versus how you'd like to be seen. This is called "disconnect," and the author says there's usually a difference between these two frames of mind.

Here's an example. One manager thinks he's a good boss because he checks on his employees' work several times a day. But, his employees see him as a control freak, and they're all looking for new jobs where they'll be treated as adults.

Think about your state of mind when there's a clash between how you'd like to be seen and how you're actually seen. Write down how you feel.

The author goes into a lot of detail in each of these three steps, and there are plenty of examples and case studies to show what each step looks like in real life.

Once you're finished, you'll understand why each step is important and useful in understanding who you are.

Part two is titled "Realize Permanent, Positive Change." Here, the author lays out what he calls the Seven Life-Altering Principles – or SLAP – for short.

He starts this section with a powerful statement. He says that spending time complaining while you behave in ways that don't serve you well is self-destructive. Creating positive change in your life starts with making thoughtful decisions about your actions.

You can do this by learning the Seven Life-Altering Principles. We'll go over one of these, which is called YaNo.

YaNo is a principle of recognizing when you're faced with a moment of truth that will have a major impact on your life, and making the choice that's most appropriate and nourishing for you.
Some of the YaNo events in your life may be obvious – like getting a great new job or having a child. Other YaNo events are subtle. For instance, agreeing to meet a friend for a drink when you don't like to drink. We know this sounds like an insignificant thing, but when you stop and think about it, it's really not.

The more you participate in events that don't feel right to you, the more your life is going to feel out of control. This goes for big choices and little choices. If you want to regain control of your life, then you need to make deliberate choices, and not just automatically respond to things. You also need to think carefully about the consequences of your choices.

When you're confronted with one of these moments, first, slow down. Take time to understand the situation. This includes what's expected of you, and what's right for you.

The next thing you need to do to make the right choice in a YaNo moment is identify your options. Evaluate the consequences of these options, and try to think about how you'll feel about your decision an hour, a week, or a month from now. When you make the choice, commit to it. Take action with conviction.

If you do this with the choices you face, you'll be true to yourself. And this is a big part of living a happy, fulfilled life.

The first two thirds of "What Is Your WHAT?" help you better understand who you are. And, they lay the foundation of finding your WHAT. Part three is where you really get into the nitty-gritty of figuring out what you're meant to do.

Think of your WHAT as the one thing you'd be happy to do even if you weren't paid to do it. Your WHAT is your gift, and it's a natural part of who you are. Your WHAT is also about the people you're compelled to serve. The two are inexorably linked.

According to the author, people can be divided into four groups when it comes to finding your WHAT. So, you first need to figure out which group you belong to.

One group is called Birthers. These people are very clear on what they've been born to do, and they don't doubt what their gifts are.

The next group is Shifters. These are really close to figuring out their WHAT. They can almost reach out and touch it, but one element is off-kilter. This group just needs a minor tweak to see transformational results.

The third group is Reinventors. These people are ready to turn their entire life around to be who they are meant to be. They're often working in a field that's really different from their WHAT.

The last group is Wanderers (and, the author stresses that this is not meant to be a negative term.) It just means these people are unaware of their gifts. They might have low self-esteem, fear, or guilt that prevents them from exploring their gifts. Or, they might not care at all.

So, how can you start down the path of finding your WHAT?

First, schedule time to learn about yourself. And, there are several ways to do this. You could meditate or do yoga, or go for a walk in nature. The point is to spend time every day with yourself, listening to your inner voice.

You also need to let go of denial. This is going to take some time, because you need to figure out what's holding you back.

Last, you need to vigorously explore your past. If you've done the exercises in the book, a lot of this work will already be done, but you need to identify if and when you turned away from your true passion. According to the author, this often happens in childhood.

This is a simple way to get started. Fortunately, the author has plenty more for us in this last section. There are many exercises and instructions for digging deep to find our true calling.
Start by sitting in a quiet place. Think about things you love to do, whether it's playing with your kids, helping others, or reading a good book. Write it down. And think back to what you loved doing as a teenager. If it's something that would still bring you pleasure now, write it down.

When you're done, put these in order. The thing you love to do most should be at the very top.
Next, do the opposite. Make a list of the things you hate to do. Take time to think about why you hate doing these things – what is it, exactly, that pushes your buttons?

When you make this list, don't judge or censor yourself, and don't worry if it might seem petty to someone else. If you hate to do it, write it down. And when you're done, put these in order.
To find your WHAT, go back to the list of things you love to do. The author lists seven questions you need to ask for each item on the list, starting with the thing you love most.

The first six questions are:

• If you didn't get paid to do this, would you still do it?
• Would doing this inspire you every day?
• Does doing this come as naturally to you as breathing?
• Do you feel you've been given a special gift to do this?
• Does time seem to fly when you're engaged in this activity?
• And finally, can you possibly make money doing this?

If any of your answers is "no," cross out that activity and move on to the next one. If you come to an activity where you can answer "yes" to all six questions, then it's time to ask the seventh question:

Does performing this activity involve anything on my list of Things I Hate Doing?

The activity needs to hit no more than two activities on your Things I Hate Doing list. If there's more than two then the discomfort level might be too high for you to stick with it. Cross off that activity and keep going down the list.

When you're done, hopefully you'll have at least one activity that passed all seven questions. This activity could be your WHAT.

While working through these seven questions may be useful, we should point out that finding and succeeding at your WHAT involves a lot more than that. It takes time, persistence, self-discipline, and courage. It's also worth remembering that some people build successful and fulfilling careers mainly on their skills, commitment, and hard work, rather than on a passion for something.

The author's goal with these seven questions is to help you explore your options, and to see if you have a particular talent you can turn into a fulfilling career. And he stresses in the book that this isn't going to be an easy process. It wasn't for him, and it won't be for you.

There are plenty more exercises to follow the seven questions. By the time you're done with this last section, you'll have the tools you need to uncover what your most useful talent is.

So, what's our last word on "What Is Your WHAT?"

We think this book has a lot of value. The exercises are thought-provoking and practical, and if you stick to it you'll be well on your way to figuring out your true talent.

The author presents several tools he's created himself, and these often come with multiple steps or processes. Be prepared to spend time working through these exercises if you want to get value out of the book.

If you don't want to answer the questions or look deeply within yourself, the book will be a waste of time. But, if you want to explore new avenues in your career, we think the book is useful and worth the work involved.

"What Is Your WHAT?" by Steve Olsher is published by Wiley.

That's the end of this episode of Book Insights. Thanks for listening.

Click here to buy the book from Amazon.