The Context
Think of talent and skill on a continuum. On the far left side, there are people with many talents but no skills. They know there’s something special and valuable inside of them, but they either don't have permission to express it, or don’t have the motivation, support system and resources to amplify it. Which is why they're often idle and dissatisfied with life. In the middle of the continuum, there are people with many skills but no talents. They accept that they're not naturally gifted, but they're still willing to work hard and develop their abilities to succeed despite their lack of innate talent. Which is why they're typically effective, but not as fulfilled. Finally, on the far right side of the continuum, there are people with many skills and many talents. They've been blessed with inherent gifts and are also blessed with the circumstances in which to focus, amplify and exploit those gifts. Their level of fulfillment tends to be the highest.
The Tool
Continuum Of Potential
CONTINUUM OF POTENTIAL -- A visual breakdown of the relationship between raw talent versus learned skills
Where are you on that continuum? What is your ratio of talent to skills? There's no right or wrong answer here. But honestly confronting your personal breakdown of raw materials versus tools, raised to the power of opportunity and effort, is a useful filter for assessing and deepening your level of fulfillment. If you’re on the far left, you might be inspired to acquire new skills, so your existing talents can be more usefully employed. If you’re in the middle, you might dig deeper to uncover the hidden talents you don’t give yourself credit for or haven’t had the chance to exercise yet. If you’re on the far right, you might feel a profound sense of gratitude and humility about the degree to which you've leveraged both and created the life you used to dream about.
The Rest
In a world where almost every person has an enormous reservoir of potential, it’s not a bad use of your time. What will it take for you to enter into the holy arena for your highest self?
The Benefits
Assess and deepen your level of fulfillment
Uncover hidden abilities you haven’t exercised yet
Use all of your gifts to make a difference in every area of your life
Connect with your highest self and make a significant creative contribution