Work It

Have you found your talent as I suggested in ‘Find It’. What then do you do with it? What happens when your talent and your career are in two different fields? How do you turn your talent into your career? I have two words for you…’Work It’.

Think of your favorite pair of shoes and your oldest pair (the ones still in active service). Which of them do you spend more time polishing when you need to go out? The truth is that your newer shoes need less care in order to look smashing but your oldest pair might need one or two rounds of polishing before they can look half as nice as the new ones. It is the same with your talent and gifts.

A lot of times we focus on polishing and working the areas of our weaknesses and we neglect our strengths, in the belief that we are amazing enough in those areas. Let’s use Charles as a case in point example:

Weakness discovered VS Response

Charles discovered he had the tendency to procrastinate so he took a training on Time Management.

He noticed a gap in his ICT skills and dedicated time to lots of practice to improve himself.

Strength discovered VS Response

Charles noticed that he had a way with words and he enjoyed creative writing. People always praised the things he wrote since he was a child. He decided one day to write a book and it never occurred to him that if he got training in the area of his talent he would be more likely to write a best seller than someone who didn’t have his natural talent.

Sometimes, we are like Charles, we get training in interpersonal skills or emotional intelligence if we feel we are too shy or we read books on financial intelligence when we notice that we are not managing our finances right. As the person who wrote ‘Upgrade You’ a few weeks ago, I am here to tell you that this is very good but even more importantly, you need to ‘work’ your strengths.

Polish them and showcase them. The things you do well without anyone teaching or pushing you, are the things you can become a master of, with just a little more practice or learning.

There is always something more to learn. Read to groom and improve in the area of your talent. Do not put your career on hold for this, because the skills, contacts and not to mention money that you are making today will come in handy. When the time comes to pull out and pursue that passion squarely, when the time is right, you will know.

I have seen too many people leave a glowing career to setup a business in the area of their ‘passion’. This is good but the only problem is that they are still amateurs. They are starting a business based on their natural talent to which they have not added any equipping skills or knowledge development. Go beyond being a natural talent, work your skill until you become an experienced expert. 

Everyone has a gift, but what do we do with it?

 Some people are so blessed because their careers are already in line with their gifts but it does not mean that everyone’s gift must be in line with their careers, after all many people have multiple gifts. 

When you discover your weakness…Upgrade You

When you find your passion…Learn More

Don’t be an amateur in the area of your talent…Improve You

If you have discovered your gift but have not yet had the opportunity to use it, roll up your sleeves and…Work It