What exactly is talent and where do you find it?
That’s a fair question. “Talent” is a term used in a variety of contexts. It is constantly used in reference to children, celebrities and athletes who are referred to as ‘the talent’, raw talent, natural talent etc. We even have talent shows, talent agencies and talent brokers.
But though the word is in common use, the concept still remains elusive. Perhaps that explains why so many people have trouble applying it to themselves personally. Do you know what your talents are or what you are talented at?
Carefully examining and refining the concept of talent may make it easier for you to recognize it in yourself and others. What is it, for example, that distinguishes talent from related — but very different — concepts, such as knowledge and skills?
Let’s start with a dictionary definition (www.dictionary.com).
Talent (noun)
- A special natural ability or aptitude;
- A capacity for achievement or success.
Such a broad description may not seem like much help, but it does include an important word to help you in the process. There is something about the word ‘natural’ that puts a different slant on things.
It suggests that talent is somehow part of our essential make up. Think about how often you have seen a child at play and thought or said she/he is really talented. They have had no special training but still the ‘talent’ shines through’
This is what sets the concept apart from that of knowledge or skills. Talent dictates your moment-by-moment reactions to your situation or environment.
Knowledge and skills, on the other hand, imply learned behavior. What you know reveals more about your experiences and education than about who you are at the core.
I came across the following article by Aprille Janes that I think helps to clarify the picture.
As I was eating my Cheerios one morning and glancing through the small town paper we get twice a week, I spotted a picture of Juan Hermasillo opening a new pizza shop.
Who is Juan?
Why, he’s the World Champion Acrobatic Pizza Spinner!
The fact that there are actually pizza spinning competitions, complete with world class levels was a revelation to me. But here was Juan demonstrating his prowess to open the new shop and, incidentally, raise money for a local charity.
That got me thinking. Juan has a sponsor, which means he performs his feats of pizza daring for some kind of remuneration. He has built a reputation and career out of something most of us would overlook or dismiss as ordinary.
Now, I can’t picture him as a small child telling the adults he wanted to spin pizza when he grew up but somewhere along the way he realized he had talent. I’m also sure there were naysayers.
“Juan, don’t do this. You can’t make a living at it. Pizza spinning? A hobby, maybe but in the meantime, get a real job.”
Juan probably struggled with his own gremlins, wondering if they were right but he obviously didn’t let any of this stop him because he is now the World Champion. Which tells me that Juan believed in his gift and accepted this talent as uniquely his own.
He looked at what he held in his hand (literally) and believed in himself. He practiced and competed and practiced some more. (I wonder how much pizza dough sits in the landfill of his hometown?) He found opportunity or created it for himself. He never stopped until he was World Champion and had a sponsor.
What’s the lesson there for you and I? We may think all we possess is plain old ordinary pizza dough but when you put your own unique spin (sorry) on what life gives you – when you accept the gift of your talent – then you create success for yourself.
Ask yourself, what is one thing I do well? It may come so easily to you that you take it for granted while those around you say “I wish I could do that.”
It may be hard for you to see so don’t be afraid to ask. Take a small poll of your family, friends and fellow workers. Don’t overlook the smallest thing. Don’t pooh-pooh anything as insignificant.
I once heard a woman tell her story about being a young wife who made great chocolate chip cookies. The world now knows her as Debby Fields of Mrs. Fields’ Cookies fame.
See the possibility in your own unique talent. Once you start looking at what you hold in your own hands, who knows where it will lead or what it might develop into.
Nothing is ordinary if you love it.
Aprille Janes is a certified life coach and a champion of women 45+ who long to claim the bigger life they know is waiting! She teaches the best way to reclaim the Bolder Chick inside of each of us is by connecting to our irresistible core of passion. You can download her free Ebook – Passion, Purpose and Values – at http://www.aprillejanes.com. It’s a great place to start your own journey.
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