A talent
is a natural endowment of a person. It is an ability or natural capacity that
we have, which may range from our creativity to our athletic abilities. We all
have them, but we are not always good at identifying what they are. Sometimes
they can be right in front of us and we miss them.
Talent is something you enjoy
doing, something you've got passion for. It's a gift! The Bible says, to some
He gives 2 talents, 3 talents, 5 talents etc. It is so certain that everyone of
us is blessed with diverse talents.
If you can determine what your talents are, you can tap into an amazing
resource that can help you in every aspect of your life, including your
business. Whether you are searching for the perfect type of business to open or
you want to find ways to grow the one you have, you may find the answer in your
personal talents.
As for my natural abilities, I discovered that I have the natural tendency to use my hand in creating anything, so I ventured into Knitting, Beading and Makeup artistry. I also love Reading, Writing and Dancing. Computer Artistry and Publishing. All these I do with great passion, and when I do any, it is usually with a difference!
I can still remember when I was in primary and secondary school, I could read a novel without eating for hours, I would be in my mum’s shop and finish a novel in a day, ranging from Pacesetters series published by Macmillan because my Dad works there. Fagunwa’s books, James Hardly Chase, John Grisham, Sidney Sheldon, Nora Roberts, Stephen Kings, Danielle Steel etc. were some of the authors I read. I never knew one of my mum’s friends was always watching me. So one day she said “Joke, will you like to learn knitting”? And I jumped at the offer. So I learnt the art of knitting within a month but the ones I love doing most is the muffler scarfs, hats, and baby shoes. She gave me a small handmade knitting machine and that was how I started making stipends from it. I still knit till date.
Also, I love beading. I developed
interest in this when I was younger, beading necklaces, bags, belts and purses
but during my National Youth Service Corp at Borno State, I visited a corper’s
lodge and I saw a lady creating flower vases and teddy bears with beads, I was amazed
that beading could be that interesting, so I approached her. She agreed to
teach me if I was willing to pay some amount and I quickly jumped at the offer
because the amount was just like I am having the training on a platter of gold.
Because I already knew
the basics of beading and I had great interest in it, I learnt it fast. Within
2 weeks I could also make teddies, vases of different shapes (chandeliers, cup,
sweet bowls etc), pigs, dogs, office tie, key holders amongst others.
Beading, Oops! I love
that art! I could go without food while beading, because of my eagerness to finish
and see the outcome. I have made some cool cash from the artistry by training
people and selling some of my works, within and outside Nigeria.
Also, I went a long way
with dancing. I joined various groups, learnt online, danced in various places,
and now I can say, I am very conversant
with different dance moves, steps, patterns, figures and variations. And I am a very good choreographer. Give me any song and I will give you a dance to it. The
bible says in Proverbs 22:29 – “Do you see a person skilled in his work? He will take his
position before kings; he will not take his position before obscure people.” And this has happened to me
severally.
I could go on and on with my “interests”. But,
what is more important here is how you can discover and develop yours! So, my
suggestions is: think deeply again and look out for those things you enjoy
doing most, I mean, things that get your utmost interest/attention.
Ways to
Discover
Ask 10 people what their talents
are and you are bound to get a variety of responses, many of which will include
that they simply don’t know. How can that be, you ask? Because people are often
too close to what is going on for them to notice their natural abilities. So
these gems go unnoticed and untapped, for years!
Finding your talent is actually much easier than
you may realize.
Here are 5 simple ways to find your hidden talents:
1. Listen to
others. Those around you usually know what your talents are, even
when you don’t. If you think about it, people have likely been telling you that
you are good at something for a long time. You just weren’t listening. Now is
the time to listen.
2. Determine what
is easy. Are there things that you find really easy or obvious to
do, while others may struggle or muddle their way through? If you have things
that you find super easy, you believe that they should be just as easy, or
obvious, for others, but that’s not how it plays out. In this scenario, they
struggle while you stand there feeling like it was a cake walk!
3. What you enjoy
most. Your talents may be demonstrating themselves in other
ways. Are there magazine topics that you just can’t get enough of? Are there
shows you love? Think about what it is that you love to do most when you have
free time. If you are drawn toward it, it is a natural talent.
4. Shut up
already. Is there a specific subject that you love to talk about,
often to the point that your friends want to shoot you? Consider the subject,
perhaps it may be one of your hidden talents or is connected to one.
5. Just ask. Ask
everyone you know that will give you an honest assessment about what they think
your talents are. Ask them to ignore your bad habits and have them share the
one or two things that they think you are hands down most talented at. Ask a
lot of people who know you, but always ask them one-on-one. Compile the results
and there is your hidden talent.
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 talent, 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.
Most of the skills I noted here were discovered when I was a kid. My curiosity made me to learn greatly and I am still learning. . . .
