Seeing Talent

“I was successful because you believed in me.” Ulysses S. Grant in a letter to Abraham Lincoln

There is great power that comes when someone we respect affirms our talents. Just imagine how Abraham Lincolns words must have empowered Grant. On the flip side great destruction comes to one's soul when someone continually points out our weaknesses or flaws. 

I received much of my strengths training as an employee of Gallup, the word's leading experts on talent and strengths. For our discussion, I'd like to define talent as the embryo of a strength. As it is passionately practiced and coupled with knowledge and skills it can become a strength. A strength is when that talent can be used to fully contribute to yourself and others. (I often remind my students that it is at a professional level of performance.)

The key to turning our talents into strengths begins with talent discovery. What are my talents? Gallup suggests that there is something each individual can do better than 10,000 others. One of a parent's key responsibilities is to help their children discover those talents and then to provide opportunities to turn those talents into strengths.

Signs of Talent

Gallup's team of scientists have identified numerous signs of talent. Parents must become talent scouts and look for these signs in their children. I have added to their list as follows:

Yearnings

If your child has tried an activity and then yearns to do it over and over he/she is demonstrating one of the signs of talent.

I grew up in the days of Peggy Fleming, the gold-medal figure skater. I watched her during the Olympics and started begging my parents to let me take figure skating lessons. In my mind, I was going to become Peggy Fleming. After months of my pleading, my parents enrolled me in a figure skating class. I was the worst beginner on the ice. My ankles were so weak that I couldn't stand up let alone, move or spin and twirl. I hated figure skating. One of the girls in my class took right to it. By the end of the first class she was skating frontwards and backwards. She couldn't wait for the next class and I couldn't wait for it all to be over. My classmate went on to skate for years, competing in high school. After trying skating she immediately had an insatiable appetite or yearning to do it over and over. My yearning was totally gone after the first class and although I did learn to skate, I have very little desire to skate much. I go with the grand kids but it's a chore.

Rapid Learning

Think of a time when you learned something quicker than your peers. Watch for classes that your child aces without much effort. Rapid learning is a sign of talent. 

A friend of mine taught a quilting class to 9 and 10 year old girls. She quickly realized that she needed to cover  how to use the yard stick to measure the pieces and cut them out with precision numerous times. But there was one girl who caught on immediately. By the time the rest of the group understood the concept that one girl had already measured and cut out many pieces. My friend was surprised to hear that girl had no previous experience in sewing or quilting. She just heard the concept and got it immediately. 

Satisfaction

We enjoy those activities for which we are good. Nobody loves something that is hard for them.

My grandson is a sober kid. He has always been quite serious and doesn't smile much. That is why I was surprised to see his huge smile during his first soccer game. That boy didn't stop smiling the entire game and when the game was over he ran to his mom and asked, "When do I get to do this again?" As he's continued playing soccer he continues to smile his way through the games. He gets more satisfaction than most kids as he plays soccer. That tells me that there is something about the game of soccer that is feeding some of his talents.

Flow

I describe flow as those activities you do where time stands still. When you are in the middle of the task, you completely lose track of time.

My mom was a very talented artist. I can remember there were times when I found her painting when I got home from school and she absolutely couldn't believe that the day had passed. She was so engrossed in her painting that she had forgotten to eat lunch.

Glimpses of Excellence

Have you ever done something and then thought, "Did I really do that?" It was so good you almost couldn't believe you did it.

My sister loves drama. She has been a high school drama teacher and volunteered thousands of hours to her local community theater. Of all the aspects of drama that my sister enjoys the most, her favorite is to dress the set. She's the one who envisions what furniture is needed, what props should be left on the end tables, what needs to be placed on the bookshelves, etc. Her favorite moments are when the curtain goes up on opening night and she can see the set from the perspective of the audience. There have been many times when she absolutely can't believe how she nailed it. It all looks and feels so real that it sucks the audience right into the scene. She has received numerous awards from theater competitions for her sets. She surely has the talent to figure out what is needed on a set and can do it at a very professional level.

No Ceiling

Many of us took piano lessons as children. We progressed some but how many of us became professional? For most of us we got to a certain level and progressed at a snail's pace. Eventually we sort of got stuck. When talent is present there is no ceiling. The individual just keeps on growing and improving.

My friend loves to speak in public. She has been a member of  Toastmasters for a number of years and just keeps getting better and better. A few years ago she started competing in local speech contests. At first she was winning honorable mention but with each contest she progressed. Recently she won first place and the right to compete in a regional contest. Her goal is to keep going and see if she can win an international contest.

These are some of the major signs of talent. I challenge all parents to become familiar with them and watch for these signs in your children. When you see evidence, point it out to your child and ask  how the activity makes them feel. Find ways to give the child opportunities to use the talent.

Copyright,  2015, Brenda R. Carlos, All Rights Reserved.