Don’t Waste Your Talent

As I watched the football play-offs over the last few days, it struck me how we need to consider our talents and how they fit into this game called life. What position can we play that brings us excitement, challenge and success? A position that allows us the opportunity to work hard yet is worth the effort. A position where sometimes we succeed and sometimes we fail but always feeling the importance of the position as it delivers benefits to the team?

In my work, I strive to assist others in understanding the answers to these questions. Here are a few ideas as to how you might begin to find the answers.

1. What patterns do you have in your career history? The good news is that everything you have done in your life has assisted you in knowing more about your talent. Whether you loved it or hated it, the experience has brought you wisdom. Paul Stanley once said, “Experience is not the best teacher, rather evaluated experience is the key.” Write out a history of your “jobs” starting with the lemonade stand you had as a kid. Identify what you loved, what you hated, the skills you used, the environment, etc. What are your patterns? What does it tell you about your talent?

2. Interests. What do you love to do? Don’t worry if it is work related or personal. What brings you enjoyment? If you are unsure, spend a week gathering information. If you see something that attracts your attention or read something of interest, keep it. At the end of the week, what does this tell you? It may be things you can further incorporate in your work life or it may be things that have to be a part of your personal life. Either is important information to keep you motivated and involved with life.

3. Assessments. Many of us have taken the Meyers Briggs Type Indicator or the DISC. Each of these open up important information that needs to be built into your personal and career world. Another assessment we offer is The Highlands Ability Battery. This measures your natural gifts and talents. It is comprised of work samples so you can show us your natural talents, not guess at what they are. We know you can measure abilities by age 14 and they do no change over your lifetime. It’s the hardware that is the foundation of all we do and deliver. All assessments are designed to increase your knowledge of the key position you can play that will bring you the greatest degree of satisfaction and success.

Once you answer the question of what position you best play you can then search for the “team” that offers you the opportunity to utilize your talents. OR it can tell you how to enhance the position you already play. It is the start of developing a life of career satisfaction and life fulfillment.



Don’t Waste Your Talent - To learn more about this author, visit Cheryl Leitschuh's Website.

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