Discover and Use Your Talent
We work from the presumption that every person is born with one Talent, unique to you. By Talent I mean the very specific way you look at things and how you do things. It’s something you do automatically, you can’t help it and you do exactly that all the time. That’s your Talent.
Often, from the age of four when you go to school, your Talent gets in the background. It gets too little attention because of obstacles like: you have to do other things, are not allowed, it is considered weird, you are not supposed to and more. Judgments such as ’that is of no use to you’, ‘just act now’, ‘you really can’t say or do that’ etc etc. In short, your Talent gets hidden behind all kinds of obstacles and judgments of others or yourself.
You also don’t realize that what you do is special. When people don’t know their Talent, they often think it’s nothing special or that everyone does it that way. That is not true. Everyone has their own Talent.
If you work from your Talent you will discover you are really good at it and that it gives most satisfaction. It gives you energy, you are tired, but satisfied. Do you know that feeling? You know how to solve things that others can’t seem to solve. It is also your USP, your unique selling point. So the trick is to recognize and acknowledge your Talent and give it space. For now leave the obstacles and judgments. That’s pretty hard, but you can do it. Brene Brown (author of The Courage to be Vulnerable and Dare to Lead) wrote, “Although I am always looking for the way, I spend 80% of my time investigating obstacles that stand in the way.” So leave those obstacles for now. We’ll have a look at them later.
In this lesson you will discover what your Talent is, what makes you unique.
To find your Talent
- Make a list of all the things you liked to do as a child until you were about seven years old. Write why you liked it, how you did it, where you were, who you were with, what your role was in the group? You are looking for things that made you forget the time and that made you feel proud, happy or fulfilled when you did or had done them. Really think about this for a moment, try to recall how you felt.
- Now also make a list of things you do in your work that make you feel the same, that you are good at and that you enjoy doing. Also write down the things about which you get compliments, or for which you are thanked extra. Also add details here, who said it, what exactly did she or he say, what feeling did you get when it was said, what did you recognize.
- When you have these two lists, go do something else first to clear your head.
Download an audio app on your phone or computer. There are super accessible free apps with audio in the name. Search for audio recorder app for your phone.
- You are now telling your story while recording it with the app. Tell the story to yourself in the second person. Using the lists, say what you did and how you did it with all the information you wrote down. So something like this: ‘as a child you loved to….. you did….. and your role in the group was….. And in your work you do….. you consult with colleagues like this….’
Now listen to the audio message and try to discover what you did that connects the stories, HOW you do things. Pay attention to your intonation, where the energy of your story is going, or perhaps what you do not yet dare to describe so clearly. Think of a word for your Talent. Preferably one word. It can be a verb, but it doesn’t have to be. What matters is that you are reminded of your talent when you say the word.
Others don’t have to understand it right away. If you have a word, write it down clearly and take it with you. Look at it daily and observe when and how you use your Talent. Try to give it space, and to do more from your Talent and less from judgments.
Another way to recognize your Talent: Often the first thing that comes to mind is your Talent and within 20 seconds of that come the judgments (see above). The trick now is to park the judgments and continue with your Talent. This way you give it space and it becomes more powerful. That’s who you are, it’s your greatest asset and you’re the best at it.
If you think it’s a nicer word, you can also use the word source code for Talent
Schedule
Finding your Talent this way will take you about 1.5 hours. Also, keep writing morning pages.
If you have trouble identifying your Talent, use what you think it is and work with it for a while. Your talent will develop and become more and more apparent to you. Or book a session with me and we’ll work it out together.
More about Talent for inspiration
Over time I have seen wonderful talents
How about ‘analyzing the route’ of someone who automatically looks everywhere he goes and sees whether the route in the store, the restaurant or the company is the most optimal, with all aspects that go with it. He is a tax specialist for family owned businesses and his clients love him.
Or ’telling the story’ of someone who sees a story in everything and can always tell it in such a way that everyone understands it and takes up his/her role in the story with enthusiasm and also understands the role of others. She is a lawyer and with this talent she often manages to take the sting out of complex conflicts
My own talent is connection. Think of it as standing strong and trusting, always. As a coach I help people to take up their role in the world from their natural leadership and inner strength. It means to me that someone is anchored in herself and strong from daring to be vulnerable.
Integrity is part of it. It means not doing things at the expense of others. Because connection is my talent, I have gained quite a bit of experience, so that I can help people to anchor themselves within themselves so that they gain confidence and trust and radiate that. They can face difficult situations with confidence. In doing so, I observe the stratification in the conversation and in topics in all its complexity. As a result, I can help people find out what is really bothering them, without losing themselves, and come out stronger. This is key in situations of physical, personal and business integrity.
P.S. Talent is something completely different from competence. Competencies can be learned and are used in assessments. A Talent cannot be learned, you just have to give it space, then it will develop itself. And to discover it you need attention both from yourself, because you alone know what you are really doing, and from good friends and colleagues who usually recognize it in you. And if you love development and learning, you should know that the development of your Talent never stops. You will always come across new challenges that you’ll face with your Talent. And that gives enormous satisfaction and energy!