A talent tends to refer to an innate ability that anyone could be born with. It is true that having a talent can help in life and it is good to try to identify and put that ability into practice. However, try not to put too much emphasis on finding your talent. Many people have a perfectly happy life and are perfectly capable of acquiring new skills, without having a specific and specialized talent.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Discover your Talent
Step 1. Go back to your childhood
A great way to understand where to find your talent is to go back to childhood and think about what you liked to do as a child. Often this is the time when the plans you had weren't limited by what people tend to think is "reality."
- Fear of failure is one of the things that tends to hold you back from reaching or finding your talent. Returning to childhood, you can get out of fear of failure or limiting visions.
- Consider what you preferred to do when you were a child and the things you loved doing as a child. It doesn't mean you have to breed dragons (forgive!) Or anything like that, but that you can set yourself up on the path to your talent. For example, while you certainly won't raise a dragon, you could turn that wish by writing a story or bringing a group of kids from the dragon camp to the nearby library.
Step 2. Consider what you do when you lose track of time
One of the main things you can do is focus on what you like to do, so much so that you forget everything else for a while. Remember that not all talents are very obvious. You may need to dig a little deeper into the things you like to find out what motivates you.
- For example: if what you really love is playing video games, he could perfectly be a talent. Even if gaming may not be your job, you can always find ways to use that talent (like reviewing video games on a blog, for example).
- Consider questions like: What do you fantasize about doing when you get bored at work or school? If you had unlimited funds, what would you like to do? If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? If you didn't need to work, how would you occupy your days? Answering these questions can help you discover what you are good at and what inspires you.
Step 3. Ask others
Sometimes when you are having trouble seeing clearly, it is good to get an outside opinion. Friends and family know you well and should be able to offer you some insights into areas where they believe you are talented.
- Sometimes the areas you want to be talented in aren't necessarily the ones that others see you as good at. That is fine! Just because you don't have an innate talent for something doesn't mean you can't be good at that thing and just because you have a talent for something doesn't mean you need to chase it in life.
- For example: family and friends may tell you that you are talented in math, especially in accounting and numbers, but your real passion is rock climbing. Instead of thinking about throwing in the towel at this sport, you can use your math skills to help fund your passion for climbing.
Step 4. Try new things
Especially if you're not sure what your talent might be, you should go out and try new things. This way you are much more likely to grasp what you are really good at and that seriously stimulates you.
- Observe and appreciate other people's talent. In researching your personal talent, it would be wise to examine the one possessed by other people. Think of who you know about a talented person (maybe your father is an extraordinary cook, maybe your mom has an extraordinary ability to listen) and appreciate it.
- Attend your community. Follow the courses made available by the university in your vicinity; attends lectures or authors' meetings at bookstores or some libraries; try cooking, rock climbing or mentoring at a school in your area.
Step 5. Create your space
While it is good to have the opinion of others, sometimes it is necessary to give yourself time and space to figure things out for yourself. It is not advisable to be completely guided by the opinions of others.
- Many people find their talent at a time that changes their life, and it is neither prescribed nor expected. It may happen that a brilliant musician takes part in a certain show, igniting the love for music in such people. So, when faced with what might trigger such a change in you, sit quietly and absorb as much as you can from this experience.
- Go alone. Do things yourself, especially new ones. This way, you will have time to figure out if you have a talent for something, without feeling compelled to show it one way or another to others.
Part 2 of 3: Developing your Talent
Step 1. Practice
While talent can be important when it comes to doing things right, what really matters is practice. It doesn't matter how talented you are. If you don't practice, you won't be as good at something as you might actually be. In many cases, people who actually have a natural talent for something get so bad in the long run because they don't want to practice.
- Set aside a specific amount of time each day to dedicate to your talent. For example, if you are gifted at writing, set aside half an hour before work each morning to get up and write. If your talent is basketball, get out of the house and train on the court.
- Focus on areas where you are less inclined. Even if you have a talent, it doesn't mean that your skills will guide you in every aspect of something. For example, you might be a dialogue artist, but you have a lot of trouble creating a coherent storyline.
Step 2. Discharge any negativity
Talented or not whether you are, negative thinking can stop your abilities faster than anything else. The more you fight negative thoughts, the easier it will be to discover and develop your talent, because you won't always be judging in hindsight.
- Identify your thinking patterns. The first step against negativity is to notice when you do it and what you do. Maybe you just admit bad things in your mind (it's called filtering) or you tend to make everything so catastrophic. Pay attention to the way you look at yourself, the situations and the talent you possess (for example, do you give disproportionate importance to your talent?).
- Check your way of thinking every day. You have to be vigilant about your modus cogitandi before you can work to change it. When you realize you are a catastrophist ("I'm a failure, because I keep forgetting to return the books from the library"), stop and scale your thinking for what it is.
- Do some positive or neutral self-talk. The trick is to replace negative thoughts with positive or neutral ones. So, for example, when you start to think you're a mess because you're having trouble playing a piano piece, transform that thought, considering "It's a challenging piece and I should practice stubbornly to perform it at the level I would like." With such a thought you will no longer cast value judgments on yourself.
Step 3. Be kind to yourself and others
People have a bad tendency to associate with their talent and when they fail to do so (and they do from time to time) they feel like a failure. To safeguard your mental energies and your happiness, be kind to yourself when you relate to your abilities.
- The talent you possess will make you better in everything at all times. If you are kind to yourself and don't fixate on how you or your talent determines your well-being, you will be more likely to feel happy.
- You can use it in the service of kindness. This way you can feel satisfied, as instead of focusing on what your talent can do for you, you will use your talent for other people. For example, if you are a writer, you could write a story dedicating it to a sick friend to comfort him.
Step 4. Challenge yourself
Very often talented people run into a wall in terms of growth. Talent supported them as much as it could, while they didn't feel the need to keep improving and growing. Staying in the safety of your environment is a sure way to stagnate within your talent.
- Challenging yourself is also a great way to stay humble. There's nothing wrong with being proud of your accomplishments, but bragging or believing you're doing nothing wrong is a surefire way to irritate those around or risk a fall.
- Challenge yourself by going above and beyond what you have already done. Did you learn Spanish fluently? Commit to translating one of your favorite books into Spanish or start with a new language, something more difficult, like Arabic or Chinese.
- Whenever you feel you have consolidated or conquered some aspect of your talent, take yourself to a new level.
Step 5. Do other things
Focusing on your talent (whether it's a PhD in New Testament studies or composing a music) is incredibly important to improving yourself. However, you need to do other things, outside of your own talent, so as not to gather all your energy into one thing.
- Do things that have nothing to do with your talent, things that you are not good at, or just things that you find funny. This way, you won't be limited in anything and will have a wide range of experiences to tap into. For example: If you are talented in math, try extending your skills, doing art or going to the gym and trying yoga.
- Avoid basing your self-esteem on your talent and setting your whole life on that. You can be motivated and focused without letting talent take control of your life.
Part 3 of 3: Using your Talent
Step 1. Find unusual outlets for your talent
There are great ways to use your skills, which are unexpected especially when it comes to work, which could come by leveraging your talent. It could be a job that you have already found or that you have created based on what you think is necessary.
- For example, just because you are an experienced singer doesn't mean you have to go into opera. You can use your musical skills to start singing courses for children or to help bring a few hours of tranquility to the seriously ill.
- Look around to see what your talent needs. If you spot a lack of yourself, you may want to start working on it. For example: if your talent is meeting people, consider starting a business dedicated to connecting people with each other in your community.
Step 2. Find a way to introduce the talent you have into your work
You don't necessarily have to have a job based on your talent. However, there is no reason not to try to incorporate it into your work. In fact, using your talent at work is a great way to increase your enthusiasm for the job you do.
- For example, if you love making art and work in a cafe, consider decorating the special dishes blackboard or turning your passion for art into so-called "latte art".
- Stop and consider how the talent you have could benefit your job. What do you have to offer that could provide a creative or unusual solution to a problem?
Step 3. Do something with your talent outside of work
If you can't think of a way to apply your talent in the workplace (and there is usually at least one way), find a way to follow it during your free time. There are many ways you can take advantage of it and get other people to like it.
- Consider making a video or posting a series of videos on a blog about your talent. For example, you can use your language skills to help others learn Arabic.
- Find other people who are equally talented and work with them, both online and in person. This is another great way to stay humble about your abilities, but it can also be fun. These people will share your passions and help launch you into a better job.
Step 4. Do something for your neighborhood
Use your skills to organize something in your neighborhood and help other people. Think of all the people who have helped you along your path to success and try to do the same for others.
- Give low-cost math classes for the kids in your neighborhood if math is your specialty. Join or create a theater workshop if acting is what you are talented at. Offer to teach families in your city about gardening or how to do manual work and so on. You can find a million ways to return what you have received.
- Become a mentor to someone in your industry. If you've already earned a professorship, for example, offer to mentor a graduate student in your field of study and help them identify their talent!
Advice
- Never stop learning or exploring just because you find it too difficult. If you hinder this process, you will never move forward.
- Remember that what seemed difficult at first to learn is easy later.
Warnings
- Don't think that a talent is expressed in something specific, such as art, writing or dance. It can be something vague like "talent in listening to people" or "talent in getting in touch with people". These are equally excellent and particular skills and much easier to insert in any job.
- Try not to focus only on the monetary aspects of your talent. Yes, in this society you will need money, but if you are focused only on making money by exploiting your talent, then you will not do it in the name of a passion and you will probably start to hate it.
