Simple Ways To Discover Your Hidden Talents

There are times in our lives when we feel discouraged and down. The situation worsens if there is no one else to uplift our morale. During such times, you need to remember that you are blessed with immense talents, and once you recognize these, you will be able to get back on the driving seat again.

However, the most difficult question to answer would be how to identify your talents?

The hustle and bustle of life keep us so occupied that we often forget to sit back and reflect on ourselves. But when life brings you to your knees, that is when you start losing confidence. You need to develop courage and discover your talent during such times.

There are various ways you can use to discover your talent. Some of them we have elaborated on in this write-up.

1. Think about what you enjoy

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In today's fast-paced, hyper-connected society, where it is easy to drown in a never-ending stream of content, it is easy to lose sight of yourself and what makes you happy.

From time to time, it is important to consider what you enjoy doing, from your hobbies to your interests. It doesn't matter if it's playing Dungeons and Dragons or re-reading Vladimir Nabokov's short stories.

By doing some introspection, you can ensure that you can find your hidden talent because these little joys can tap into what you're good at.

2. Find what makes you feel strong

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Talent identity is all about finding what makes you stronger. When we say stronger, you must be purposeful in life and experience growth and satisfaction. That is what this entire life is all about.

You must have come across situations where everything seems flawless and easy. When you are good at some things, everything appears easier. Our inner sense always draws us to things that make us feel calm and content in life.

However, you feel low when you feel out of place or do not really get that satisfaction from your daily life.

These are the times to identify and recall what made you feel good about your life. It might be your talent to deal with kids or play games. Whatever it may be, that would define your strength.

You need to ensure that you pursue such talents, whatever you are good at. If you are good with kids, try babysitting or volunteering your time in any after-school program. That is what would make define your schedule as per your strengths.

3. Step outside of your comfort zone

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We don’t like change. We usually resist it. No matter how bored we become with our professional or personal lives, we don’t appreciate it when our comfort gets disrupted. We get anxious, angry and apprehensive. But how can we advance our lives if we stick to what we know rather than what we don’t know?

The answer? You can’t – which means you will be stuck in a neutral zone, dissatisfied with life.

Stepping outside of your comfort zone is a necessity if you are searching for meaning, testing your strengths or improving your abilities. Whether you want to facilitate the nourishment of your mind or transition into a different career with a new talent, you need to take risks, muster up some energy and resist fear.

Here are a few ideas to consider embracing:

• Find out how you occupy your time when you’re not in the office and then prioritise
• Make time that is just for you; self-discovery requires ‘me time’
• Build on a current skill you have, like composing music or writing poetry
• Try an activity that you have never experienced before
• Enrol in a class on a subject you’re interested in
• Volunteer to help your community, meet new people and become passionate about something.

4. Find what you spend the most money on

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One of the best ways to identify talent is by checking where you spend your money the most. If you are not good at maintaining books or records of your finances, try out using free and easy-to-use applications such as Mint. It would allow you to determine where your maximum dollars are spent.

Following your green would lead you to discover your talent. If you check your finances for the past 12 months, you will find a specific spending pattern on certain things. If you spend regular money to keep up with your gym schedule, maybe you are good at it, and that is what your talent is!

Use this discovery of talent to your advantage by going on advanced stages of such activities and enjoying your life to the fullest. This would give you utmost satisfaction.

5. List your strengths and weaknesses

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What are we good at? What are we bad at? You won’t truly know unless we think about it and write it down. And this is what you need to do moving forward.

First thing in the morning, or last thing before bed, sit down, grab a pen and paper, and outline your various strengths and weaknesses. You may be successful in solving murder mysteries in Agatha Christie novels by the fourth chapter, beating opponents in seven moves in a game of chess and learning a language rather quickly. On the other hand, you may be unsuccessful in arriving to appointments on time, cooking pasta and reading body language.

Some people might say that they don’t know how to tap into their talents, but with a little bit of patience, thought and concentration, you can identify your gifts.

6. Key Components

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When you know what your talents are, you feel more in tune with your life. You can also use those talents to excel in the business world. Whether you leverage those talents in your product or service, or you use them to network and make quality connections, they are important to know. When you capitalize on your talents, it no longer feels like work, it just feels like living. And anything that makes business and life more enjoyable is bound to be a good thing.

7. Ask your friends what your best and worst qualities are

Why not retort to talking to the very close people you, such as your family or friends. They are the ones who have been with you for a long time, and these are the people who would undoubtedly know clearly what your passions and interests are. More importantly, they can tell you what you are good at.

It can be anything from singing to dancing to cracking jokes. Things that come to you effortlessly and entertain others are your talents.

When you ask your friends about your best and worst qualities, ask them to be brutally honest with you. Knowing about your weaknesses or worst qualities helps you isolate such habits or activities from your life. This would only leave you with things that you are good at.

8. Ask your family what you loved as a child

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Why not talk to your mother, dad, or siblings and check with them about what you loved when you were a child.

Maybe you are having difficulty remembering such things, but they would surely remember. These are the people in your life who have known you for the longest.

There are things and habits that we pick up as kids and try to be good at these. Maybe we were good at it, but we tended to forget such things as we grew.

Your past behaviors, likes, and dislikes would give you a clear insight into your personality and how you grew up.

If some of these things still tickle your brain or bring excitement, these were the things that you loved and were good at. That’s what your talent is! Try to recreate your childhood and bring back the same level of gusto when you realize your strengths.

9. Start a daily journal

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Have you ever considered penning the story of your life? It may sound narcissistic, and you may feel that you’re not interesting enough, but a daily journal can serve as insight into your mind and as a log into your past. It is a sublime tool to both know who you are and what your gifts are.

This simple but helpful exercise should consist of multiple subjects: childhood, academic career, romance, interests and the future. You can also delve into the abstract, such as what makes life worth living, where you see yourself in 10 years’ time and what you would do if money was not an issue. It is also imperative to be honest; self-deception will not aid your crusade to purpose and success.

One more thing: you don’t need to worry about spelling, grammar, style and the Oxford comma. Just write with reckless abandon of the English language and glimpse into yesterday, today and tomorrow.

10. Check your high school report cards

They often say that the most important time of your life is during high school. There is a reason why that is a correct adage: you’re at the height of puberty, you’re attempting to pave your path, you’re carving out your personality and you’re preparing for the future. High school is that bridge between childhood and adulthood that far too many of us regret not taking full advantage of.

Your high school report cards are artefacts that offer an account of what you were most interested in or what courses were easier than others. An A+ in English suggests you are a natural at reading and writing, while a C+ in mathematics proves numbers are not your strong point. You also received an A- in art, media and drama. It is apparent by these report cards that you are an artistic person and maybe this is what you should have applied your time, energy and resources to all along.

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