How to discover your talent: As we grow, we are told we are born with talents, innate abilities that are natural to us. These talents somehow are connected to defining what or who we are or the person we eventually become. It is important to discover our talents, early in life if possible, but better late in finding your talent than never.
A talent is a special natural creative, athletic or artistic ability of a person. A talent is not taught but can be improved upon to unleash the best of the talent bearer. Examples of talents are good eye-hand coordination, amazing voice, charisma, listening, etc. however consider talents like a muscle, it requires constant flexing and use else its stiff. Thus the question, how do you find your talent so you exercise it and find out who or what you are?
8 Effective Tips On How to Discover Your Talent
1. Look within for what comes natural to you: There are some activities that you can do with ease that they feel like a reflex action. The abilities could be artistic, creative or athletic which mastering or perfecting those skills are like a walk in the park for you. Look for activities you repeatedly do and you love doing, find a pattern among those activities and it would lead to directly to your talents.
Being good at spreadsheets sounds like a boring ability but if it is naturally easy for you when using it, it means you have great organizational skill which can land you a promotion at work.
2. Explore and experiment: It is possible that thinking about what might seem natural for you to do or learn might not yield any results, and then it is time you explore and experiment. Exploring and experimenting is about trying out new things and learning new skills. It could be pottery, or a vocational course or sports. Exploring new interests is a decent way of finding what you are willing to improve at, be it accounting, swimming, or writing. Experimenting can be by taking on new challenges, to see how far your strengths can go.
These challenges become an avenue to improve and develop your assets and perhaps unveiling your talents. Trying out something outside your comfort zone will expose you to a different aspect of yourself and maybe help you discover your talent; something you are exceptionally great at.
3. Think about your past achievement: There must have been something you’ve been awarded “best”. It could be in a particular subject in school, an award in your place of work, or a distinction in a degree or diploma.
These achievements while seeming irrelevant at the time of accomplishing them could be an indicator to special abilities you possess. Even your grades in different subjects you took in high school will help. A closer look at these things will help you identify your strength and discover your talents.
4. Find what you enjoy: There are some kind of talents that cannot be classified as either good or bad, especially artistic ones, so what to check is the satisfaction the person gets when performing a particular act. A person might have a lot of things he or she is great at but there is only that one thing they are very passionate about, that is their main talent. Find the passion and follow it.
5. Find what you are great at among and over your peers: Another way of finding your talents is by doing a little analysis of what activities you perform better than your peers. It does not have to be a wide of friends, a few persons you are frequently in touch with will suffice.
In this step, you may have to consult your family and friends, to tell you what activity they think you excel better at than anyone. This enquiry is vital because one common reason people do not recognize what their talents is/are is because they dismiss these unique qualities as normal. So check for the common favors your family and friends often as of you, it indicates what they think you are good at.
6. Consider your intangible talents: Talents can be intangible, meaning your talent might involve a physical ability. Being the person people turn to when they are in a dilemma, is a talent.
They see you as someone who is level headed and can take decisive steps. Or you may just be great at finding a middle ground for two warring parties, this talent points to the fact that you could become a great professional mediator.
7. Find what you go all out for: Some will say follow the money but I prefer follow the resources. Money is only but one of the several resources that can be invested in an activity. Time is a resource that is as important as money.
Find what activity takes all your time, so much that you lose track of time and feel the most happiest. So find what absorbs you of time and still gives you pleasure, your talent isn’t far from there.
Improve existing skills: There is stuff you already do; in fact, you are getting paid for doing those things. This means you’re proficient with a skill. Instead of having to look for a new skill, you can improve on that exiting skill and become an authority in that field. Any skill that you already possess can be turned into a real talent if you take time to develop that skill
Sharpening your existing knowledge could be an approach to developing your talent.
Lastly, look inwards. No one knows you better than you, you know what makes you happy, what you are willing to invest all your resources into. Take a break from your job if possible, and spend some time alone to reflect on your life. Write a journal if you want, record a video or voice while you are reflecting on your life.
Start from your childhood and take notes of things that sparked your interests, the ones you stopped doing, why you stopped doing them, the subjects you were great at in high school, etc. Along the way, you will find the talents you used to have but never developed or simply dismissed as normal. Finding what your talent is not that easy as it seems but when you actually put in these steps to action, it will easier to find that muscle and exercise it.
