Discovering your talent

Our perception of ourselves is very complex. Ironically, much like we cannot see our own nose, we are often blinded to the things that we are best at. It can be really hard to identify our brightest talents and they are often in the places we least expect.  There are many good reasons to want to explore your talents but it’s going to take a little work.

Open your mind to all paths. Because you are likely blind to what some of your talents really are, a good place to start when evaluating your talents is to just open your mind to the possibilities.

Open up time for new things. Your life needs to have room for discovering your talents! If you spend all day on the couch after school or work or you spend all of your waking weekend hours at parties, then you’re going to have very little time for self discovery.

Think about those thing you enjoy doing. The things that make you happy can also reveal your talents. Think about the things that you love to do. Do people ever give you compliments on it? Do they ever ask for your help with it? You might not think of it as a talent but it probably is.

Build on your existing skills.  Any skill that you possess can be turned into a real talent, but you need to take the time to develop it and really work on experiencing all of the different activities that go in to that talent.

Try things you would never have tried before. Sometimes we tell ourselves that we can’t do things. Maybe we think we’re not good enough or not smart enough. Most often we see ourselves as “not that kind of person”. But the thing is that you don’t know you’re that kind of person until you start becoming that person.  Take a risk and try something totally different than anything you’ve ever tried before.

Take classes in subjects that interest you. If there’s a subject that interests you and you think you might want to develop it into a talent, consider taking a class.  It also will help you get the basic skills needed to start developing your talent if you decide it’s something that you want to do.

Take on challenges. In situations, when we have to struggle or when we’ve moved from our usual comfort-zones is when we learn the most about ourselves. When you shut yourself off to challenges by just sticking to a quiet life and never leaving the house, or even backing out when times get tough or running from your problems, you deny yourself the chance to shine. Let challenges happen, try to tackle your problems, and get out and live life a bit more so that you have the chance to conquer challenges that you encounter.

Staying focus. In order to discover your talent you have to keep your mind focused on the things you know how to do best so people won’t talk you out of those things you love doing. Staying focus can help bring out the best in you.