Success: Three Questions to Know Your Talents

Often times your success hinges on the ability to correctly perceive opportunities, understand your core talents, and persevere in the face of adversity.    We'll be exploring these intersections in the coming weeks.  Here are our working definitions and previous post.    

Awareness: The ability to perceive your surroundings correctly.

Talents: A skill set you've been given and hone over years of practice. 

Grit: Your resolve and strength of character to persevere in the face of resistance.

As you become aware of opportunities, you must then ask, "Is this opportunity for me?  Is this my work to do?"  One of the key components to answering these questions is clarity on your unique talents.  This allows you to identify your unique areas of contribution.  In addition, when talents go unused they stagnate and wither.  So, in order to live with focus rather than frenzy and keep your talents alive and active, you must clearly articulate what you do well.  

Here are two sets of questions that will help move you toward a greater understanding of your core talents.  

In Your Personal Life: 

1. Thinking back through your life story, what are three responsibilities and successes you have had that stand out?
2. What is something you absolutely love to do?
3. When your friends describe you, what are some of the key words they use?

What trends or patterns begin to emerge?  Are there any overlapping concepts or ideas that could be written as actions or skills?  

In Your Organization: 

1. How is your organization known?  In every field there are core competencies.  Beyond these, what abilities make your team stand out? 
2. Where has your team seen success? How can you focus on these and leverage them to a greater degree? 
3. Who on your team, if given the chance, do you believe could rise to a new level of contribution?  Identify a specific responsibility and offer them the opportunity to grow?  

The Most Common Mistake In Your Life

If you've ever found  yourself wondering, "Why am I in this job?" or "What's next?", then you're not alone.  Here's why: most people lack the specific clarity needed to live powerful, intentional lives.  As a result, they spend their lives reacting to circumstances and opportunities rather than living towards a clear purpose and goal.  In fact, in the face of uncertainty, the default setting is to allow other people or circumstances to determine their future.  

To keep this from happening most people read the first chapter of a book on "decision making" and believe they've addressed the problem.  Others simply busy themselves with the "urgent" tasks of life, hoping things will work out in the end.  But, these strategies are fundamentally flawed.  At best, the world is indifferent to your success and thriving.  At worst, it's actively seeking to hold you back.  Half-hearted efforts and hoping for the best just won't work.

The truth is that if you don't do anything this pattern will lead you further and further from the place you want to be.  You can't leave your life decisions up to other people and circumstances.  But, living differently than most people does not just happen.  It takes intention and design.

• Imagine starting next year with a clear vision of what you were created to do.
• Imagine having energizing, affirming conversations while discovering your unique contributions and potential for life.
• Imagine a retreat, a gift of time that allows you to press pause on the rush of daily life and breathe.
• Imagine you are equipped to love your family well, engage your work with enthusiasm, and live your your life with hope and clarity. 

Imagine...

The Master Class

We sat down fifteen feet away from twin Steinways.  A young, petite woman in a black lace dress sat at one, an older gentleman with wild hair, a blue vest and impressive cufflinks at the other.  She began to play Schumann's Piano Sonata in F#minor Op. 11.  As the final movement ended the room filled with applause. Her performance was fantastic.  

Then he began to quietly speak.  

He asked her to play the beginning of the first movement again.  As she did he began to gently coach her, to draw out music that was not there before.  He didn't use musical terms to guide her; they were both beyond the music on the page.  "You must have a third ear listening in the balcony.  Play to that ear."  "The piano is an imperfect instrument, so we must fool ourselves and play what isn't there." My favorite was, "We all have our missed notes, but this piece invites danger."  

When she played it was beautiful.  When he played it felt transcendent.  

He was a master.  The music was in his DNA.  Over the decades it had seeped down to the mitochondrial level.  At this depth of knowledge he was able to rearrange the soul of the piece and bring new life to already beautiful art. 

Not everyone makes beautiful music, but we are all called to make our world a better and more beautiful place.

Take a moment and think through your response to these prompts.  Write down your thoughts.

1. One way I can improve my craft is __________________. 
2. One step I can take to do so is ____________________.
3. A Master I can seek out for guidance is ___________________.  
4. Who can I gently coach and help bring out what they did not know was there?