What talents are hiding within you?

Many people have grown up believing they didn’t have anything special or unique to add to the world. Perhaps they came from mediocre surroundings or had no encouragement for their gifts so they went unrecognized. Or maybe they repressed their talents because they felt ashamed. Whatever the reason, it’s all too easy to believe our talents and passions are not worth pursuing.

Everyone Has Talent

A great many of us are wandering around with the belief that we aren’t all that interesting when it comes to our natural gifts. But we all have more talent than we think we do.

Very often we hear news stories about children with incredible abilities. Many of them are entertainers or child prodigies featured on daytime talk shows. While it’s incredible to see these talented young children, don’t forget about your own children’s talents, which might not be as obvious. They may not be as advanced as the kids on television but everyone’s talents are worth developing.

• Children are often inspired after watching the Olympics and parents rush out to enroll the kids in gymnastics or swimming programs. They might possibly be the next Michael Phelps or they may never make it to the Olympics, but they will learn a new skill, get exercise, and meet new friends.
• Adults may be inspired by their favorite sports hero. If you daydream about winning the Tour de France, then start small by joining a local cycling club.

Be Realistic

We shouldn’t delude ourselves and believe we can do all things. We need to be realistic about what we can accomplish but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try new things or take classes to learn something new.

• If you’ve always wanted to be a Broadway actor, audition for a local community theater group. Many people can fulfill their passion on a smaller, local level.
• You might decorate beautiful children’s birthday cakes, but should you attempt to decorate your niece’s wedding cake? Be realistic about your skills and how much time it will take but feel free to take some extra classes or find a mentor in the field who can help you.

Using Our Talents In Our Work

Many of us take jobs we don’t like and live lives we wish were a lot more exciting or fulfilling. Instead of being discouraged with our life choices, we need to choose what we wish to do in the life we have and let our instincts lead us to our passions.
Think about what you love to do the most with regards to your job:

• Maybe you love writing up detailed reports and therefore have a knack for the written word.
• Maybe you get compliments on your good communications with clients. This might indicate you would be great as a public speaker or trainer.

What Do You Like?

If you still think you don’t have much talent, start looking at what you love to do with your time.

• Maybe you love to sing along to your favorite song and your family and friends consistently tell you how good you are.
• Maybe you love to dance and whenever others see you they remark about your incredible agility.
• Maybe you find yourself doodling a masterpiece when you have some idle time.

If you think about what you really enjoy doing, you’ll find that you’ve been drawn to it over the course of many months or years. It tends to be true that the better we are at something, the more we enjoy doing it.
If this doesn’t ring any bells for you, think about what your favorite classes were in school. Once again, remember that we tend to love the things we’re good at. Thinking about these things is an excellent way to uncover your hidden talents.

Discovering these talents is a wonderful way to find a new hobby or boost your self-esteem. If you let yourself accept that you probably have undiscovered talents, enjoy this adventure of discovery. It could very well take your life to higher levels of wealth and fulfillment!