Is talent born or made? The dictionary says talent is a “natural endowment” of a person—so we’re all born with our talents. It’s up to us to grow and develop them, but the seeds are in us at birth. Talent is an ability or natural capacity or potential that we have, which may range from our creativity or intellect or social skills to our athletic abilities. We all have talents, but we’re not always so good at identifying what they are. In fact, our best talents can be right in front of us, and we miss them. We’re so busy searching for a talent we think is hot or lucrative, or sexy or fun, or more like how we imagine our life being, that we overlook the actual tremendous potential we have sitting there waiting to be discovered.
If you can determine what your talents are, you can tap into an amazing resource that can help you in every aspect of your life, including your business. Whether you are searching for the perfect type of business to open or you want to find ways to grow the one you have, you may find the answer in your personal talents.
– Your biggest room for growth lies within your talents
A common assumption in today’s society is that the key to success is fixing your weakness. People tend to think that working on what you are not good at is the fastest way to grow and develop. That’s far from the truth. Of course, you can get better at anything. Working on your weakness can help you go from bad to mediocre. But you will never be able to achieve true excellence without an underlying talent. As Markus Buckingham says: each person’s greatest room for growth is in the areas of his or her greatest strength.i So find these areas of talent and strength and capitalize on them. That way you can use your full potential.
– Making use of your key differentiator
What sets you apart from everyone else is your unique personality with all the special talents and strengths that you possess. YOU are the biggest asset that you could ever have. The first step to embrace your uniqueness is being aware that you are special. You are like nobody else in this world. Nobody else has had the same experiences as you. No one has exactly the same characteristics and shares the same values. Nobody has learned all the various skills you learned. Discovering your talents and strengths means becoming more aware of who you really are. Because only when you know what makes you so unique and you can fully embrace and make use of it.
Identifying your unique talents
To set yourself up for success and capitalize on the way you are, you need to identify your unique characteristics. This is a process that takes quite some time but that is definitely worth doing!
The following four ways can help you get started:
Find what makes you feel strong
Keep track of how you spend the next two days: What are you doing, feeling or thinking about daily? Write down everything that energizes you and makes you feel strong. It could be a particular physical activity such as meeting up and going dancing with a friend or a mental activity such as finding a solution to a difficult problem. Then when you found a few things you repeatedly do and love, dig deeper and see what part of that particular activity made you feel good.
So for example, one of my patterns is that I love learning and sharing my findings with you. That statement in itself is not quite true: I don’t like learning about everything. Give me books about personal development and I am occupied for hours feeling energized and in flow. Give me almost anything else and I am bored to hell. I like sharing what I learn but if you make me talk about it in front of a crowd, I will try to run and hide. However, sit down with me alone and I will happily talk with you for hours. These are distinct differences that are vital to know in order to make the most of my talent.
Identify What Talent Makes You Unique
A talent that makes you stand out from the crowd because your skill and expertise can be considered a great asset. Do you speak a second or third language? Have you lived in several countries, or studied multiple disciplines? Companies are searching for people with new and interesting perspectives and life experiences to solve complex business challenges. Showcase your unique style and talent. Dare to be great!
Nurture And Develop Your Talent
All of us start off with raw talent that needs to be shaped and developed. It’s our responsibility to nurture and grow our talent, while positioning ourselves for success. To develop your talent, it is great to look for work assignments or volunteer opportunities that add depth to your skill base, value to your professional life, and exposure for your career. The key to success is applying your talents in different situations and changing your work environment to broaden your perspective. Again, developing your talent means staying in touch with your passion and building on your interests to add value in your profession and career.
Express Your Talent
Self-expression is the key to growing your talent. Talent is like learning a fine instrument that you want to play well. You must practice, practice, and practice to be proficient at playing your instrument and learning how to play it for many audiences in different settings as a way to understand the full potential of the instrument.
The more you exercise your talent, the more talents that you will discover you can use as well as the new places, situations, and people that can use your skills. In many instances, we limit our talent from reaching its full potential because we assume people are not interested in what we have to say or offer. You can plan to get involved with organizations and people who are interested in the talents that you bring to the table.
Conclusion
To discover your talents, start by considering things that you've enjoyed or excelled at in the past. Next, consider your current interests to see if there are any common threads. Work to build on your existing skills, but don't limit yourself to those! Open your mind to all possibilities by exploring new activities and subjects, and be willing to step outside of your comfort zone on your path to self-discovery!
Thanks for reading.
