The Self-Discovery Template That Changed My Perspective

This week, while reading The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks, I stumbled on an idea that hit me harder than I expected — Upper Limiting.

Upper Limiting is something many of us do without realizing it.

Things start going well, and instead of leaning into the goodness, we somehow sabotage it.

We convince ourselves we don’t deserve it, and we act in ways that bring us back down.

But that’s not even the part that shook me the most.

The author also talks about the Zone of Genius — that sweet spot where you’re not just good at something, but it lights you up and feels effortless.

Then he asks a simple but confronting question: “Do you actually know what you love doing?”

And here’s the truth… I wasn’t sure. I’ve never sat down and deeply mapped it out.

So I decided to do something different — I had a conversation with AI about myself.

I shared rough, honest facts about who I am, what I enjoy, what frustrates me, and even how I want my life to feel.

The result? We built what I now call my Life Card — a living document that contains everything I know about myself right now and will keep evolving as I do.

But while doing this, I realized there’s a set of simple, guiding questions anyone can use to start uncovering their own Zone of Genius.

The “Life Card” Self-Discovery Template

(You can Copy-paste this into ChatGPT or use it for journaling.)

Prompt to use with AI:

• Things I Love Doing

• Skills & Strengths

• Values & Beliefs

• Ideal Lifestyle

• Things I’m Curious About

• Personality Insights

Here are the questions:

🗝 Self-Discovery Questions

1. What activities make you lose track of time?

2. What topics do you naturally get excited talking about?

3. What problems do people usually come to you for help with?

4. When in your life have you felt the most alive and fulfilled?

5. What kinds of environments make you feel drained? Energized?

6. If money wasn’t a factor, what would you spend your time doing?

7. What personal values feel non-negotiable for you?

8. Who are your role models, and what qualities in them do you admire most?

9. What skills or knowledge do you want to be known for?

10. What’s something you’ve always been curious about but never explored?

How to use it:

• Answer honestly and without overthinking.

• AI can help expand your answers into insights.

• Keep your Life Card saved somewhere you can update over time.

Don’t overthink it. Your answers don’t have to be perfect — they’re just your starting point.

Once you’ve written them down, you can turn them into your own Life Card — a personal roadmap you’ll keep updating as you grow.

Trust me, this exercise is one of the most valuable foundations you can lay in your self-improvement journey.

Because the truth is, you can’t align with your Zone of Genius if you don’t even know where it is.

You don’t need all the answers right now — in fact, it’s completely fine if some questions feel blank at first.

That’s the whole point: to pause, reflect, and keep coming back as your clarity grows.

So make a pact with yourself today: no matter what, you’ll return to this, adding new insights as they come.

With you on this journey, always.

Uthman