10 Ways to Maximize your Talent


 We all have reservoirs of potential to be unleashed and to recognize our unlimited potential is the first step towards getting the best out of ourselves. Talent is a strange word that we use to describe only the uber-successful like multimillionaires, sports superstars and other public figures but we all have talent that can be unleashed. Most of us are unlikely to achieve public acclaim so that may not be the best yardstick for a successful life.

Talent is not something most of us are born with, it is something we develop through thorough soul searching, self-analysis, practice and deep learning. It is a cinch but worth repeating find out what ignites your passion. Passion ignites reservoirs of talent that is hidden within our vast reservoirs. The main obstacles in our path are our self-doubt and lack of patience.

Let’s face it once we embark on a journey we get a little overwhelmed with the effort that is required to get to our summit. There are no guarantees in life and the journey is going to be hard but we have to realize it is worth the effort. We have to really deeply think what we are in it for. Yes money is a reason, fame is a reason, a sense of accomplishment is a reason but once we get deep within ourselves and realize that there is something more important our juices start flowing.

Finding our purpose/meaning/mission in life is our great task. Once we find what we are here for our lives become more exciting, engaging, and we are full of energy, enthusiasm, passion and have an unlimited zest for our lives. Just writing about this makes me feel more excited. Today is a great day to live the life we have always imagined. It has been well established that once we act like the person we want to become we will eventually become the type of person we always wanted to be deep inside. This is what Clayton Christensen calls likeness. He also says if you take the time to discover your purpose it would be the most important decision of your life.

Here are 7 keys to maximise your talent.

Teachable – If you want to make the most of your talent then have a teachable attitude. No matter how successful you are there is always something more to learn. Look for mentors in your field, connect with them and look at what they have done to achieve success. Do the same thing and see if you get consistent results. Always have a beginner’s mindset to make the most of your talent.

Attitude – Carol Dweck says there are two types of mindset one is fixed mindset and the other is growth mindset. With a fixed mindset you think your potential is limited and you never do anything which can result in failure. The more desirable one is to adopt the growth mindset and always learn something new from any failure. Also keep growing all the time. You never reach mastery and you can keep tapping into your talent.

Love what you do – There is a big literature around the passion word. Of course having passion is great but in my opinion if you are passionate about painting but you are not good at it then it will result in pain. You have to find a talent niche where your talent helps you financially as well. The starting point is to love what you do which will then result in you bringing the best in whatever you do all the time. There is no end to maximising your talent if you love what you do. We may not always be good at what we love but if we really become great in what we do then we will be maximising our potential.

Energy – To make the most of your talent and tap your highest potential you need a lot of energy. The movers and shakers of this world all have extraordinary energy. Some of the ways to be energetic are to have a positive stance to your life, always staying enthusiastic, loving your work, being pleasant and exercising regularly. Our life has to be in balance just like you need the wheels aligned in a car. The four wheels of our lives are the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. This has been known from the ages and is of course not a new concept. However if we align our lives with those four wheels and take care of them we will have high energy.

Nice – Sometimes we have seen many highly talented people becoming arrogant because of their achievements. Being nice to everyone never goes out of fashion. You might be great but that doesn't call for you to throw tantrums. Be a pleasant and agreeable person. Be nice to be around. The point of life is to have rich long lasting relationships.

Technique – It has been well established that all successful violinists or ballet dancers practice on their technique incessantly. So having all the talent is not enough without deliberate practice. This is where the rubber meets the road. Make a list of your dominant talent and then work relentlessly on your technique to improve in your area of expertise.

Avoid Marginal Thinking – We all know the story of Blockbuster being Netflixed. This is due to marginal thinking. You are making a lot of money through your existing business and then you see an opportunity for a new method of business. However when you decide whether to invest in this new opportunity you think that it will not yield greater profits than existing business so you decide not invest in it. However a new competitor doesn't have this option and brings out the new product making your existing business irrelevant. The whole point is we cannot always make decisions on the margin. How does this apply to our lives. It is just a reminder to keep evaluating if what you are doing makes sense now given the new normal and then decide to invest your time in the new activities that makes more sense.

It is not for us to decide if someone is successful or not. The only choice we have is to determine if we are successful against the standards and definition we set for ourselves. If we attain success against the definition we set for ourselves then we are a success period. We owe it to ourselves to define what success will be for us and live our lives according to the vision we have envisioned.

There is abundance in this world and we have enormous choices to use our talent. As we exercise choices that enhance our lives we eventually go forward and we will reach our Everest. Continuously pursuing our summits is the true joy in life and the journey is more exciting than the reward itself. So go ahead and maximise your talent to bring your best self to the world.

The views expressed here are my own and do not represent my organization.

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