Mining your pool of hidden talent

‘MOM,” my daughter screeched this past Monday, after her first day back to school in Dublin since we returned from a family wedding in the US. Even though we’ve lived here for a few years, I’m still ‘mom’ — not ‘mum’ nor ‘mammy’.

This time, however, she stretched and curved the word into a plaintively demanding “maaawwwm”.

Sitting downstairs at the dining room table, she was struggling with homework. I was upstairs. Hence the bellow. Occasionally, she actually calls me from one room to another with her phone. I think I prefer the bellow.

“Yes?” I called back. And then I hurried downstairs.

Once we were closer together, the conversation progressed much more efficiently. (That’s a mini communication lesson for all of us: proximity matters.)

“I have to write about my talents for class,” she continued, in a blessedly normal tone of voice. “Just… what are my talents?”

“Well, let’s see. You are terrific at making new friends. You understand how to be kind first. And you have a great sense of humour.”

“Thanks a lot,” she dead-panned, rolling her eyes. “You just named all the boring things that nobody cares about.”

Unless you’re a stellar stand-out, someone with a clear ability to run at a remarkable pace, sing with perfect pitch or sketch like Rembrandt, you may feel the same way as my daughter. You’re struggling to uncover your hidden talents.

This may feel especially true if you have been stuck for years in a career that doesn’t fulfil you. Repositioning purpose over pay cheque is no easy task. It’s hard to find time to write a best-selling novel when you’re busy trying to make ends meet and pay the bills.

This becomes especially difficult if you don’t know or remember what you were passionate about in the first place.

Each of us has a talent for something. Here are my top five methods for discovering — or rediscovering — yours.

1 REFLECT

When was the last time you paused to quietly think or consider something for longer than five minutes — without compulsively reaching to check your phone?

The notion of sitting back and being introspective is largely a thing of the past.

But our past can inform our future, so it’s critical to carve some important ‘you’ time to do just that.

Reflect upon a variety of things: what classes did you enjoy as a student? What sports did you practise? What activities made you feel strongest? What gave you greatest joy? And after all that, reflect upon this question: why did these activities appeal to you?

You might have played rugby as a kid, for example, but what about it really called to you? Was it the camaraderie, the athleticism, the fresh air? The attributes of your favourite things will provide powerful clues.

Now that you’ve looked back, don’t forget to imagine your future. What would you like to do if money weren’t an object?

2 LIST

Sitting next to you while you’re reflecting, I recommend a notebook. And something to write with. List the activities and attributes you concentrated on. What do they have in common? Do they involve a common character trait or ability? And don’t forget to list why you enjoy them.

When we write something down, it forces our brain to focus singularly for a moment.

Capturing your thoughts is essential if you want to begin to recognise the patterns and themes of your talents.

3 ENQUIRE

What do your friends and colleagues see as your strengths? Most people are more than happy to give you their opinion. Just ask them. Be sure to ask a variety of people too. Someone you know only a little will have a different perspective from someone you know very well.

Now, overlay your survey results with your own list you just made. What common themes are emerging? This is your starting point. Is there a field of study or experience that seems to speak to others — and yourself ?

4 TRY

When it comes to our careers, one of the main reasons so many of us stay in a job we don’t really like is that while it may be boring, at least it’s familiar.

To leap into the unknown — often without a financial net — is scary. But discovering — and developing — our talents, requires us to stretch. Get out of your comfort zone.

Enrol in that new class. Travel to that new destination to push yourself. Try some of these ideas alone too. This allows you to more fully engage with the new experiences internally.

5 JOURNAL

Like with my daughter’s class, writing sentences about what you think about your talents is a great exercise.

Get your stream of consciousness flowing over the next week. Just write once a day and don’t look back at the page as you move forward. At the end of the week, review.

Are you often coming back to a main idea? That’s your passion, which almost always incorporates your top hidden talents.

Speaking of passion, ultimately, my daughter came up with three things on her own: skateboarding, talking and having fun. Talents indeed. With corporate clients on five continents, Gina London is a premier communications strategy, structure and delivery expert. She is also a media analyst, author, speaker and former CNN anchor. @TheGinaLondon