Discovering your own talents and abilities is important for a number of reasons. Personal satisfaction is one of them, and so is using them to determine your life path. We are all born with the ability to do something well – but finding out just what it is can be difficult. Not every gifted person has their ability recognized as a child, and many go through life without ever figuring out just what it is that they are innately good at. But if you can recognize your gifts, talents and abilities, you can use them to your advantage not only in your personal life, but throughout your career as well.

So how do you find out what you’re great at? Perhaps you noticed that when you picked up that guitar once, you found that it felt easy and natural to play. Or, you’re able to sit at a computer and fly through tasks or fix problems with ease. Maybe you’ve always been good at mathematics but thought that everyone else felt like that. Perhaps you found drawing; painting or writing came naturally to you, while other people you knew struggled to get anything down on paper.

These are just some examples of what many people are naturally gifted at, but which can go undetected for many years, or even a lifetime resulting in a wasted ability and lost opportunities.

There’s a good chance that the things you enjoy doing is somehow related to your talents. We tend to gravitate towards what feels right in life. Often, this can be in direct conflict with our career path, particularly if you’ve been persuaded to take on a field of study or work that you don’t enjoy. On the other hand, if you’ve chosen a career or study sector that you love, your natural abilities are most likely already being put to good use.

Talents, abilities and gifts are what make us unique and special. Recognizing what yours are, whether it is just one or many, means that your life can be more satis­fying both in your work and your leisure time. You can also feel confident and proud that you are making the most of your innate abilities while knowing that there are many people out there who would love to be able to do what you can.

Now it’s your turn. We know you’ve been thinking it. We know someone told you it. Now we want you to Share it. Below list one or more of your talents, gifts or abili­ties. Don’t be shy you’ve been given it to share it with the world and we’d like you to start with us. Please leave your comments below.