Each of us has a primary role we prefer. But we can also learn to thrive in our shadow roles. As you gain the ability to operate skillfully and gracefully in your shadow roles, you become unstoppable. 

Here are the five roles:

Creator of Worlds. This role is all about unleashing your imagination and envisioning possibilities that seem impossible. It's about dreaming big and bold, without getting bogged down by limitations. In this space, you let go of limiting beliefs, unnecessary attachments, biases and even your own ego. It sometimes requires meditation, stillness, experimentation and altered states of consciousness.

Whisperer of Possibilities. This is where you integrate visions you encountered at the top stage and start introducing them to others. You inspire others to pay attention and perhaps collaborate with you. Think about an entrepreneur pitching a concept to early stage investors, and you get the idea.

Architect. This role is about taking your big ideas and turning them into a concrete plan. You are bridging the creative with the pragmatic. It's about being strategic and systematic, breaking down your vision into actionable steps and plotting the best course forward.

Builder. This is about assembling resources, forming a team, designing processes and workflow. You take big ideas and translate them into smaller, more actionable ideas.

Worker. This role is all about discipline and diligence. You produce a certain amount of work, in a set amount of time, to a certain level of quality, for a pre-determined price.

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Please don't confuse these roles with your job title. You can be the president of a multi-billion dollar division who accepts so many limits on your authority and creativity that you are essentially functioning as a Worker. In addition, this may not be a bad thing, if your acceptance of such limits is what enables you to reliably generate billions of dollars of economic value, year after year.

In a similar manner, you can be a college dropout who moves through the world like a Creator of Worlds (examples: Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg).

For me, this isn't just an intellectual exercise. This year (and beyond), I am literally on a journey to get better at all five roles. It's already taken me to some pretty weird and wonderful places. At times, I have felt untethered and confused. At other times, I have gotten so deep into the zone that my productivity has soared.

But I am convinced that in the long run, my life will soar thanks to this extra effort. The same can be true for you.