Lachlan Brown
It can look like only people with talent are special.
Talented people can be seen everywhere: at university, at work, in the neighborhood, or on social media.
Seeing them can make one think, “why wasn’t I born with that talent?”
But the truth is, you are.
Everyone is good at something: whether it be taking notes, knitting, or even flipping bottles.
Talent doesn’t always have to be something tangible either; some people are better at listening or loving than others.
Finding your talent simply means uncovering what you’re good at, not what’s going to impress the most number of people.
Try out these 13 ways to help uncover your talent.
1. Explore And Experiment
Our habits and daily routines tend to confine us in our old ways.
Living in comfort and familiarity leads to stagnation in the long run: days bleed into the next, and Tuesday can’t be told from Wednesday.
This is because we experience the same repetitive problems at work and walk the same paths at home.
Add some variation into your life and try something new.
The daily routines might be hiding your talent.
Maybe you’ve always wanted to take up the piano or learn more about marketing; the internet is a treasure trove of resources to equip you with the knowledge that can make your days fresh and talent discovered.
2. Be Aware Of What’s Easy For You But Difficult For Others
Friends and families are bound to have asked you for favors at some point in time; what’s the most common favor?
Maybe it’s to design a banner for a social media profile or organize the files on their computer.
The most common favor asked could be a sign that it’s something that you can do better than anyone — i.e. your talent.
The world is full of problems to solve. Businesses sell the solutions, and that’s how they create value and profit.
If your friends and family have a recurring problem that they need solving, chances are that they’re not the only ones experiencing those; other people could be looking for someone to provide them the solution they need — that person could be you.
To help you find your special talent, I’ve created a fun quiz. Answer a few personal questions and I’ll reveal what your personality “superpower” is and how you can utilize it get the very most out of life.
Check out my revealing new quiz here.
3. Return To What You Loved As A Kid
Our childhood years were our most authentic.
We had yet to be changed by the social norms that we would eventually be introduced to once we’ve entered the educational system.
Prior to becoming an enrolled student, we had passions before we even realized that they were passions — they were just things that we enjoyed doing for the sake of doing it.
We drew and colored despite the accuracy and style not exactly being up to snuff with the Picassos and the Michelangelos of the world; we didn’t care about what others thought about us.
Childhood was such an influential time that, more often than not, the dreams that people pursue were discovered in their youth.
What did you enjoy doing as a child?
There could be something there that could fuel your passion and talent in your adult years.
4. Step Outside Your Comfort Zone
The cool shade under the comfort zone might be what’s hindering any unexpected talents to break the surface and come to your attention.
When you try things that you’re uncomfortable with, you get to learn more about yourself. It was
Eleanor Roosevelt that did say, “Do one thing every day that scares you”.
For example:
The discomfort and unease of speaking in public when you’re used to staying indoors…
Or making a music cover when you’ve always been shy of your voice…
Doing things like this allows you to shed some light on a previously dark and uncertain area of your life — maybe that’s just what’s needed to bring out your talent.
5. Play To Your Strengths
Do you feel comfortable in the kitchen? Or do you enjoy working with numbers?
The only requirement for something to be called a “talent” is if you have an innate confidence in doing it.
If you’ve found it easy to follow along recipes and gauge how much salt and pepper to actually put, that may be your talent hiding in plain sight.
Or if you’ve spent a majority of your work hours studying marketing trends, that knowledge could help cultivate your talent for copywriting or even project planning for marketing campaigns.
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6. Ask Friends And Family
We can get lost in our heads about the things that we’re doing.
What might seem clearly obvious to us might be brand new insights for someone else.
There’s always going to be something that we can’t catch ourselves doing unless someone tells us about it.
Your closest friends and family know you well enough to identify the quirks that make you stand out from the crowd.
Odd things like humming along in the correct key or being a good listener might be natural things to do to you that may be special to others, which might make you go “Wait. Other people don’t do that?”
7. Reflect In A Journal
Finding your talent is part of getting to know yourself.
Keeping a journal helps you write through and process not only your thoughts but the events of the day and what you did.
Writing a daily log of your experiences and feelings about those gives you something to look back on in the future.
After writing for months or even weeks, reviewing previous entries might be helpful in revealing trends about the things that you enjoy doing and recurring life goals.
These could guide you towards finding what you’re good at.
8. Improve Existing Skills
What are you already getting paid to do?
Your employer saw that you have the abilities that are necessary to help the company.
Out of all the applicants that they could’ve chosen, they decided to hire you.
It means that you’re already proficient in something.
Instead of picking up a new skill that may or may not even be a hidden talent, try deepening your knowledge instead.
There’s always something new to learn in mastering any skill, whether that be accounting, social media marketing, consulting, and maybe even in construction.
Honing your craft could be your way of cultivating your talent.
9. Reflect On Past Achievements
It’s a common grade school practice to award students with arbitrary awards such as “Hardest Worker” or “Most Dependable”.
These achievements, while seemingly inconsequential after going to high school and starting work, could be a sign of some ability that you had growing up.
You might even look at your grades in the succeeding years to see which subjects were the ones that you felt your best at.
While they might feel trapped in a curriculum, confidence in using the quadratic formula or knowing that the mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell have real-world applications when taken more seriously.
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10. Notice What Makes You Lose Track Of Time
In Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s book Flow, he writes that “flow” is a mental state where one becomes so absorbed in the activity that they lose track of time and have all their focus placed on the moment.
It’s in this mental state that people tend to feel the happiest and most fulfilled.
The flow state is usually triggered when someone is engaged in a task that isn’t beyond or below their skill level.
It’s this mental state where skills improve the most and talent can shine through.
Notice what you get absorbed in doing; there might be something there.
11. Be Aware Of What Catches Your Interest
The level of interest someone has for specific activities can be a good gauge to see where their abilities might ultimately lie.
Athletes wouldn’t have been able to put up with the hard work and commitment needed for their sport if they don’t have at least an interest in the sport itself.
Finding what you naturally gravitate to can be a good start to finding what you’re willing to improve at, whether that may be numbered in accounting, words in writing, or the framing in a photograph.
12. Take On A Challenge
When abilities are tested to the limit, you’re able to see how far your strengths go.
If you’ve always had an interest in the way that people manage projects and their organizations, you could try raising your hand the next time your boss asks if anyone’s willing to head the next project…even if you don’t have much experience.
Challenges become opportunities to improve and grow your strengths, maybe even exposing a side of yourself that wouldn’t have been seen otherwise — it could be your talent.
13. Disconnect From The World And Listen To Yourself
When it comes to finding what you’re naturally good at, one way to go about it is by being alone and listening to yourself.
Maybe in the quiet, you could hear a voice or feel a compulsion to do something that you’ve never really done before.
As naturally as it is, talent doesn’t always come easy to some.
Just because someone has talent doesn’t mean that they no longer have to dedicate the hours to improve themselves — and that’s where the playing field is equal.
Anyone can choose to dedicate hours on specific tasks (that’s what happens at our jobs).
The question is: what are you willing to spend hours improving?
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