How to Discover Your Talents

All of us are talented in our own ways. With the right attitude and by taking the time to reflect, we can discover our gifts and use them effectively. (Estimated reading time: 3 minutes)

One of my favorite childhood games was a card game called Top Trumps.

There are different card packs, based on a variety of themes and characters. I particularly liked the Marvel Superhero card deck.

As frequent players of the game, my friends and I perceived the best cards to be “The Hulk” and “Thor”.

If any one of us had one of these heavyweight cards in our hand, we would gain an instant boost of confidence because we knew that we had an edge over the other players.

However, after a couple of years of playing the game, I gradually began to appreciate the strengths of the other characters in the deck.

For example, “Iron Man” was not particularly strong, but he had the highest number of gadgets. “Power Man”, on the other hand, did not have any weapons, but he was one of the tallest and heaviest of all the superheroes.

Unknowingly, I was already learning that everyone is born with their own unique strengths and weaknesses.

It became clear to me that a combinations of our genetics, education and proclivities entrust each of us with special mental and physical traits.

For example, a ballerina was born with tiny body frame so that she could later become an accomplished dancer in her field.

A mathematician’s natural knack for solving the trickiest numerical challenges gives him the aptitude to discover a complete new system of mathematics.

A little girl’s love for animals and her innate ability to connect with them can lead her into a career of veterinary medicine.

The truth is that all of us are talented in one way or another. People who lament about not being particularly gifted have just not had the right guidance or the opportunities to excavate their inner inventory.

There are a small percentage of people who are fortunate enough to have discovered their gifts at very early stages of their lives.

Most of them had parents or other adult role models who guided them and took a keen interest in helping them discover and hone their talents.

Athletes such as Tiger Woods and the Williams sisters were mentored and trained by their fathers since they were kids. Performers such as The Jacksons and Justin Timberlake were encouraged by their family to attend auditions, and to consistently practice.

The majority of us did not receive this kind of guidance. We had to explore our options and develop our career tracks through trial and error.

However, we shouldn’t let this dishearten us. There are plenty of famous late bloomers who expressed their gifts well after their youth such as actor Morgan Freeman and entrepreneur Martha Stewart.

They’re all living proof that neither age nor challenging life experiences can diminish your ability to unleash the power that you have within you.

With the right attitude, you can begin the process of uncovering your talents. Here are some questions that will give you hints and clues as to what they could be.

1. What are your top interests and passions? In what kinds of activities do you lose track of time and that gets you into a flow state? What do you love to talk about with others?

2. What have people complimented you on in the past? What kind of positive feedback have you received in your personal and professional life?

3. Which aspects or tasks in your current job or business do you take pleasure in completing?

4. What are some of the things that you do with ease and flair? Do you have a knack for doing something that others find challenging to do?

5. Which activities do you enjoy engaging in during your spare time? What are some tasks that you would not mind doing even if you weren’t paid for it?

Write all your responses down and examine them. Do you see any common patterns or themes emerging from all these responses? 

Within you, there is a seed for greatness—all you need to do is nourish it with healthy thoughts and a promising vision for your future.

All my best on your journey,

Seline

Question for you:  What do you think you have talent in? What are some things you can do to improve and grow?

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