You Have Talent: How To Discover It So You Can Share It With The World

“The most exciting place to discover talent is in yourself” -Ashleigh Brilliant

Diamond In The Rough

“I have no particular talent. I am merely inquisitive.” – Albert Einstein

Recently one of my good online friends Mirjam shared a very inspirational video with me. My friend knows I live in South Korea, so she was wondering if I had watched this viral clip from the TV show “Korea’s Got Talent”.

The video is of a young man named, Choi Sung-Bong, who was competing on the show as a singer. He was abandoned in an orphanage when he was only three years old. Sung-bong says he ran away from the orphanage when he was only five after being beaten. He lived on the streets of Korea for ten years, selling chewing gum and energy drinks to support himself and sleeping in public bathrooms.

Sung-bong was not able to attend elementary school or middle school, but managed to take the Korean equivalent of a GED test. He ended up graduating from Daejeon High School for the arts, but could not continue with any professional training because of his financial situation, according to a South Korean newspaper.

When he walked on to the stage no one knew what to expect, as he appeared to be just your “average” looking guy. The judges asked him why he had left the family section on his application blank, he then shared his very sad story with them. He mentioned that he was not a good singer, that he just simply enjoyed singing.

I think many of the people in the audience did not expect anything special. But shortly after opening his mouth, he stunned everyone in the audience with a beautiful rendition of “Nella Fantasia”. Personally I was very touched by his story, talent, and humbleness.

We all know that life can be quite cruel, that there are many people just like Sung Bong who struggle everyday just to survive. But In spite of his terrible circumstances, he did not give up and now he has experienced how life can change in an instant.

I just wanted to share his story with you, to inspire you to go after the things that make you feel good, the things you do just for the sheer joy of it. To remind you that no matter how hard life gets, things can change for the better in an instant, if you just approach life with the right attitude. Also to not take anything for granted, I know I sometimes forget to count my blessings.

Share Your Gifts

I know everyone can’t be a world class performer or athlete, but everyone does indeed have some type of talent or skill to share. If you don’t know what your talent is, you need find out what it is or just simply create it by practicing the things you enjoy. Below I will give you a few pointers on discovering your hidden talents.

Just like Sung Bong, there are many diamonds in the rough, just waiting to be discovered. Sharing your gifts with others is one of the best contributions you can make to society.

You now have all of tools necessary to share your creative talents with the world. Anyone can upload a video on YouTube showcasing their singing, dancing, and acting abilities. If you like to write, why don’t you start a blog? If you like to create music, you can have your own home studio and it won’t cost you an arm and a leg. If you like telling stories, now with inexpensive HD camera’s and a green screen, Hollywood is not the only game in town. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination.

The beauty of the internet is that anyone can express themselves creatively.

Everyone has a talent. Maybe yours is baking the most delicious Cup Cakes… it’s still a talent. And now a day’s most talents can be turned into a business, so that you can make a living doing what you love. You can create a course, write a guide, or sell your creations on sites like etsy.

How To Discover Your Talent:

1. Try new things your are afraid of doing: First, ask your self why you are afraid and what your missing for not trying it? If you are afraid of trying something new because your scared it wont work, you wont let any of your hidden talents rise to the surface to make themselves known.

I have always been afraid of dancing, but this year I decided to give Salsa a try. What I was afraid of was that I would look stupid and that I wouldn’t be good at it, all conditioning from a few childhood experiences I had.

At the beginning I know that I looked pretty terrible and I found I wasn’t a naturally gifted dancer, but I got passed it. A few months later and I now know many of the basics and even had a little mini performance. While it’s too early to tell if I will be talented at it, I am happy I did it. If I had listened to my fears I would have missed out on a lot of fun and some great friendships.

One of the best ways to explore your hidden talents is by trying completely new “scary” things for yourself. Skydive, sing at a Karaoke bar, volunteer for something you never considered, join a club, study something completely foreign to you. The moment you step out of your comfort zone you will surprise your self with that you can be capable of.

2. What’s easy for you?: Do you have any friends who mention to you that “I wish I could do _____ as good as you do”. Does it come so naturally, that you don’t think it’s a big deal? Take a closer look, great things don’t need to come through struggle, some people are truly blessed with natural gifts, don’t take them for granted.

You may not be that aware of the things you do best but people who know you do. Listen to people when they say, “have you ever thought of doing____?” or “You are really good at___.” We all think that the things we are good at are easy, so we tend to discount their value. Conversely, we value things that we find difficult – which other people find easy.

3. Meditate on it and go with your gut: Learn to go inside yourself, tune into yourself, if you learn to pay attention and know how to look, you already have all the answers to all your questions.

4. Do what you love: Don’t let anyone or anything tell you it’s stupid to pursue the things you love.

5.Try everything!: For most of us, our talents may not be so easy to spot, so we need to try many things until something clicks. In the process we can learn and grow from a diverse set of situations, which in the end may prove to be more valuable than even discovering a hidden talent.

6. Proudest past moments: Think about the best accomplishments, achievements and successes you are most proud of, even all the way back to your childhood. Patterns will emerge as you scan all of them and your hidden talents will come up.

7. Just ask: Send out a question to your friends, family and colleagues asking them what makes you special. See if you can find a common thread that can help you unveil your hidden talent.

Bottom line is, we are all different, we all have all have our own unique perspective on things. Don’t be afraid to stand out and be an individual, share whatever makes you unique, your life as well as the lives of others will be much better off for it.

If you enjoyed this post you may want to check out my ebook, “How To Get Your Shine On: From The Inside Out”, which can assist you in finding and sharing your talent with the world.