The world brims with possibilities and chances. You have access to knowledge and to people who know things. If you want to create something and invest enough time and energy, you’ll reach the top — or the depths. You just need to stick with it and walk your path unwaveringly.
But which path?
I regularly meet people who are good at their jobs. Because they’ve been doing it for ages. Time and experience carried them there. Sometimes though, I sense a certain weariness. The slack body language, the lifeless voice, the dull eyes signal: Actually, I’m bored. I couldn’t care less about what I’m doing here and I’m not in the right place at all. I was born for something else.
Hard work alone isn’t enough
Many bend and adapt over time. That’s not terrible — we must constantly adjust to new times and demands. Initially you slip into an uncomfortable role to challenge yourself. You want to expand your skillset and increase your value. The introverted technical expert becomes a celebrated TED speaker and the extroverted saleswoman withers away in the accounting department in the building’s basement.
Both feel uncomfortable and it drains energy to rally yourself daily and survive another workday in that role.
Now we finally get to “talent.” I’ll define it this way: You can do something that flows from your hands effortlessly. It comes to you naturally. You don’t need to strain much and it might even be fun, though it doesn’t have to be. Your talent is your “superpower” waiting to be unleashed.
What’s your superpower?
Sometimes talent gets recognised early — too early — and burns out in the first years of life. Take the four-year-old violinist who becomes an Instagram hit and never touches the violin again by age ten. It can also happen that talent gets recognised much later because the environment didn’t notice it before or it only really develops its impact later (deep concentration).
There’s probably also a difference between interest and talent. You can and should be interested in everything, but the talent isn’t always there for it. I think you should continue with what’s interesting (because it gives energy), but ultimately especially foster what’s both interesting and talented.
The suppressed talent
Far too often talent goes completely unrecognised or even gets suppressed. Many people were programmed in childhood: “Reiner has no talent for music.” That’s what my music teacher said at school. Maybe that’s why I never learned an instrument. Now I’m annoyed about it (which is why I’ll definitely learn piano someday, regardless of my talent).
When someone has a talent and it’s known, why don’t we seek out tasks that actually match our talent? The combination of talent, dedication and persistence is quite promising. As a rather introverted person, I’ve learned to occasionally practice extroverted traits too. But it’s exhausting for me. My talents lie elsewhere.
Where do your talents lie?
I’m much better when I can pull strings in the background, when I work in small groups and actually implement something rather than speaking to large audiences. My talent is understanding complex relationships and finding the essence from them. I love balance, nuances, stillness and movement. I’m a good “starter” — the “perseverance” I’ve worked hard to develop.
As a talented pathfinder, you can drop me anywhere and I’ll always find my way back. To feel valuable I don’t need lots of approval and likes on social media networks. I enjoy writing, but more than 80 percent of my notes stay private.
Recognising and fostering talents
Conversely: I’m untalented when it comes to handicrafts. Knitting and sewing are wonderful hobbies for some people. You could punish me with them. And I’d have to invest enormous time and energy to become a perfumer. My sense of smell simply isn’t well-developed (but I’m audiovisually talented instead).
Everyone has talent. I find it sad when we don’t tap into our talent and instead focus on which abilities will bring more money and security. So how about really examining your talents closely now and considering what you can do with them? You’d immediately achieve more and be happier doing it.
This post first appeared in German on reinergaertner.de, where I’ve been writing since 1997 — back when the internet still had that new-car smell. An AI assistant helped with the translation under my supervision. If something reads a bit odd, blame the Denglish in my head.