We are all born with talents that set us apart from the crowd, particular traits that make us who we are and that shape our lives. If you have the talent of singing, swimming, if you are capable of carrying out creative ideas in business or if you think you are a great listener, you must have the opportunity to cultivate and honor what makes you unique. Realizing your talents and feeling confident sharing them with others will help you reach your full potential and feel more fulfilled in life. If you want to learn how to gain confidence in what makes you special, read this article.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Recognize your Talents
Step 1. Know that anything can be a talent
Some people recognize their talents immediately, but in other cases it can be difficult to identify something as a talent. Whatever kind of business you can do with skill and simplicity, all the things that are natural to you can be a talent. As George Lucas once said: "Each of us has a gift: it's all about trying to find out what it is." So what are your special talents?
- Maybe you have practical talents. Maybe you are an excellent cyclist and climber, you can jump rope or you are an ace with the yo-yo. It may be that you are a surfing champion or that you always win your city's pie-eating contest.
- Maybe your talents are more artistic or intellectual. Maybe you are an excellent poet, you can create YouTube videos, you can give a speech, you can win math competitions or you can solve crosswords.
- Maybe your gift is knowing how to interact with people. Are you an expert on social networks, with 1500 friends on Facebook and 50 "likes" on each post? Maybe you are the person everyone turns to for advice when they're sad, or do you have the gift of creating funny jokes that make your family laugh?
Step 2. Discover your hidden talents
You probably have talents that have lain dormant since you were a child, or talents that you never cultivated because you thought they were useless. Maybe you even found them embarrassing. But if you are capable of doing something, make it a part of your life. If you ignore your talents, you will feel that something is missing in your life.
- A good way to figure out what talents you don't recognize is to rethink what you enjoyed doing when you were a kid. Children spend their time doing the things that come most naturally to them. What made you happier then? What could you do for hours without getting bored?
- Similarly, how do you spend your free time now? What activities can you do quietly for hours on end? Probably the activities you enjoy the most are the ones you are most gifted at. Cooking, fixing the car, winning video games, and even sitting still and meditating can all be special talents.
Step 3. Don't judge what makes you special
In every talent there is something special and precious, not only in the most remarkable and evocative ones in our eyes such as opera singing or professional snowboarding. Indulge your innate talents and try to cultivate them all, rather than wanting one particular gift you don't have. There is room for all kinds of talent, each of us has a role to play. If you recognize this, you will begin to gain self-confidence.
Realize that just as you don't have everyone else's talents, so others don't have yours. Maybe a friend of yours is a wonderful painter, but he doesn't have the ability you have to tell captivating stories. Maybe your brother is the captain of a top-ranked football team, but he doesn't have the same sensitivity to other people's feelings, or your keen aesthetic sense
Step 4. Don't get stifled by other people's opinions
Sometimes our natural talents remain hidden when we live by doing only the things that others believe we are good at. When you live, work or go to school in an environment that doesn't value your talents, you can feel confused and don't understand the importance of your talents. Remember that your talents are what really define you as a person and cannot be dictated by others - they are an integral part of yourself.
- Don't be ashamed of your talents, even if they are considered "bizarre" in your circle of friends. Rest assured that there are other people who would consider them surprising and special instead. If people in your environment don't appreciate your talents, look elsewhere. Search the internet for forums for people who share your interests.
- Maybe you have been told that your talents are stupid or, even worse, something to be ashamed of. Our parents, friends, and society can push us to become something other than who we really are. Don't be hindered by the expectations of others.
Step 5. Indulge your skills
Be grateful for having received them as a gift. It's easy to repress your talents and waste your time desiring the ones you don't have, in fact many people get stuck in these negative thoughts. That is why, once you have discovered your talents and indulged them, many will consider you a very lucky person. Reading this article represents the first step on a journey that will lead you to recognize your special talents and to discover how, by cultivating them, your life will be much richer and more fulfilling. Now you are ready to make your talents an important part of your life: from today you can start exercising them to build your self-esteem.
Method 2 of 3: Nurture your Talents
Step 1. Develop your talents
The power of being very good at doing something is already within you, but that doesn't mean you will be able to excel without training as much. The most talented musicians in the world spend hours and hours practicing every day, exploring the depths of their skills. This applies to any kind of talent: we have the natural ability to put it into practice, but we won't fully understand where our skill can go if we don't practice it constantly. As soon as you are able to recognize and "feel" your natural gifts, confidence in your abilities will soon come.
- Try to practice your skills as often as possible. Don't let them rust. For example, if you are a talented comedian, go often to places where you can perform freely to practice. On days when you can't perform, hone your lines or practice with your friends and family.
- Give yourself plenty of time to devote to your talents. You may need to rearrange your weekly schedule to make more room for activities in which you express your skills. Your talents must become one of the biggest priorities in your life.
Step 2. Learn all you can about your special gifts
Do some research to learn more about how you can explore and develop them. The talent you want to know better can be something that many others share, or it can be extremely unique and rare: in any case, there are certainly books, articles and interviews that talk about it. Here are some tips to dive deeper into the world of people who share your talents and to learn more about what your special talents might be:
- Read books and blogs, watch movies and listen to podcasts on the subject.
- Participate in online forums and join groups made up of people who share your interests.
- Attend conferences or take courses on topics related to your talents.
Step 3. Look for a mentor who can teach you what you don't know
Finding a good tutor or a point of reference to help you develop your talent is something invaluable. Look for people who have cultivated the same talent and can share their wisdom with you, to help you grow. For example, if you are a good but inexperienced salesperson, pay attention to people who have been in the company longer than you and have a lot to teach you about trade secrets.
- The relationship between a tutor and his pupil is rewarding for both people. The student benefits from the experience of the tutor and his guidance, while the tutor feels the satisfaction of sharing his hard-earned knowledge with someone else and, thanks to the breath of freshness brought by the young apprentice, acquires a new perspective.
- Finding a good mentor isn't always easy, but you can still find someone to inspire you. If you don't know anyone in your environment who is willing to take you under their protective wing, you can always find information about the people you want to inspire yourself by reading books or doing research and reading on the internet. Don't be afraid to get in touch with these people by sending them an e-mail or writing on Twitter!
Step 4. After each failure, stand up
Just because you have a talent for doing something doesn't mean you will always be able to do it perfectly. When you make mistakes, which will happen every now and then, don't give up. If every time you make a mistake you freeze as if you were in front of a wall, you will never fully realize your potential.
- Try to learn from the mistakes you've made, so as not to repeat them a second time. As the undisputed talent Thomas Edison said about his most famous invention: "I have not failed 1000 times, the light bulb was invented after 1000 attempts".
- Don't be afraid to ask for advice and help to develop your talents.
Step 5. Don't worry about what people think
The journey to discover your talents can be confusing for some and scare others. Maybe you used to hang out with friends every Friday and Saturday night, but now you spend more time writing. It may be that your parents are not happy because you have left all the extracurricular activities in which you are no longer interested in order to dedicate yourself exclusively to the talent you want to cultivate. Your decisions will not always be perfectly understood by others, however, as you gain confidence and pride in what you are doing, the people around you will understand that your talents are an integral part of your identity and that you can no longer rely on them. less.
Method 3 of 3: Feel Pride in your Talents
Step 1. Share your talents with other people
One of the good things about our special gifts is that we can use them to bring joy to other people. Think about how you can use and share your talents to make the world better. Share them with your friends, family and new people to make the most of the gifts you received when you were born.
- Think about the joy you feel when others share their talents with you. Your favorite songs, recipes and jokes would never have seen the light if their creators hadn't felt the need to share them with the world.
- Even if your talent isn't immediately shareable, there will still be a way to use it for the benefit of others. For example, if you are good at meditating, you can organize a meditation group or simply explain to others how they can benefit from this experience.
Step 2. Teach others about your special skills
After practicing and gaining confidence and experience, you may want to teach what you have learned to other people. Those who have the same talent as you, but are still inexperienced and untrained, can use your experience!
- Consider tutoring, teaching courses, or starting an association.
- You could also write a book, start a blog, or organize an online forum.
Step 3. Think about making your dowry your profession
If you have a talent that you are so passionate about that you want to do it for many hours every day, you may find a way to make some money out of it. The privileged place where talent, desire and money meet is for many people their dream job. If you think there may be people who are willing to pay to see you express your talents, try making it a job.
- Some people don't want to turn their talents, which they do for fun, into paid work. Turning your singing or acting skills into a career, for example, takes a lot of effort and isn't always an easy path. If you prefer to continue your usual work and dedicate yourself to your favorite activities in your free time, there is nothing wrong with that.
- Either way, you'd be happier if your job allowed you to practice at least one of your talents. If you are a creative person, try to find a way to express creativity in your work, even if you only paint on weekends. If you are able to listen and solve problems, you can use these skills in the workplace, even if you do not want to become a therapist.
Step 4. Be willing to explore new talent
There is no reason to limit your chances by thinking that your skills are only those you already know. In fact, with the experience and confidence that one acquires over the course of a lifetime, new hidden talents are often discovered. Whenever you try something new, you may discover a talent you didn't know you had. Learn to discover, recognize and cultivate your gifts, without any limit.
Advice
- Try your hand at new activities. Maybe something you thought you were doing terrible is actually perfect for you!
- Sports activities such as football, swimming, running or basketball can be considered skills; they also keep you fit and healthy.
- Train your talents - the more you practice, the better you get.
- Do what you love and love what you do!
- Don't let others stop you from doing what you want. Do you want to do something? Give it a go!
