When applying the concept of “talented” to a particular person, people often mean that she has certain abilities that set her apart from others. However, the nature of “talent” is much more complex and multifaceted. In this article I will describe in detail the definition of the word “talent”, tell you what it is, whether every person really has it and what meaning it has.
In psychology
I, as a psychologist, put into this term a successful combination of a number of data, predispositions and conditions for the realization of an individual’s creative or other aspirations. Thus, to reveal the inclinations, a confluence of certain circumstances related to the environment in which the object is located is necessary: social, cultural and historical. We are talking about extraordinary potential, which manifests itself in the process of gaining experience and allows you to achieve success in a particular business. In other words, about what you do better than most ordinary people.
What is the essence
Talent is not only a special talent, but also an individual’s unconscious craving for a specific type of activity. At the same time, he strives for what attracts a person no matter what. Often these abilities are identified in childhood. Outstanding scientists show an unhealthy interest in studying the world around them (bugs, plants, technical instruments); future high-class mathematicians learn to count early and quickly. The age of disclosure is different for everyone. But from an early age, a talented child stands out among his peers in some way.
First edition
Gosha K. - helping visionaries with activitiesDec 12, 2021 · 4 min read
! I recommend reading the second edition of this article.
Recently, a friend told me his observations of himself over the course of one day. He monitored whether he was happy and noticed that he enjoyed life in only 2 short moments throughout the day. This is a clear example of life and activity that is in no way based on a person’s personal talents.
1. Have you ever experienced a situation where you skillfully did some work, were engaged in some activity, investing personal energy in it, but this did not give you absolutely no internal drive ? Did you get good results and your product was called genius? If you remember such a case, then let's call it: THE CASE OF MANIFESTATION OF ABILITIES.
2. Has it ever happened to you that something in your activity and life sparked you and your interest for a long time? Did it lift you into a state of endless inspiration? Are you driven? If you remember this, then let's call it: MANIFESTATION OF TALENTS.
What is the difference? Talents are NOT the same as Abilities. And abilities are NOT the same as Skills. There is a gradation:
Talent is a natural ability that a person is BORN with.
Why is this the case?
Because talents are directly related to the personal and real goals of an individual. We can say that talents are personal tools for achieving your goal.
And goals, in turn, are a strong catalyst that activates a person’s super abilities and talents.
Constant inspiration , or any state even better than inspiration, is the main indicator that a person is living his talents and not passing them by in life.
A well-rounded individual can do many things well and competently.
There are people who are equally good with both texts and graphic design, and can write great music, as well as manage the development of projects well.
Extraordinary abilities can be trained. Abilities are the product of training and a lot of practice. Talents too, but there is one difference:
By training something without inspiration, simply at an analytical level of awareness, you will only gain ability, and it will not rise to talent, no matter how much time is devoted to gaining mastery.
You can train something code-named “A” for 1,000,000 years, and train something called “B” for the same amount of time. Will these things remain only genius abilities, or will they become personal talents - depends solely on whether there is inspiration and a state of “flow”?
Can you type on a keyboard? Great, you have the skill! The same can be said about the ability to walk, think, turn a computer on and off, and use the Internet.
Is your ability to do this extraordinary, in extraordinary ways, and indicative of super-competent results super-quickly? If yes, then this is an Ability!
Is this or that skill or ability an activator of your personal inspiration or drive, the state of “flow”? If yes, then there is some talent behind it!
A person has Talents, Abilities, and Skills.
1st option: a person often bases his activities and life on his Skills or Abilities... 2nd option: ... but you can lay your Talents as the basis of your activity.
Theory of heredity
Giftedness is often associated with genetic predispositions. However, there is no exact answer to the question of a hereditary predisposition to talent. Genes that contribute to the physical strengthening of the body form a predisposition to exercise. The basis for the development of mental abilities can also be inherited. But still, one genome is not enough to reveal individual characteristics. What is important is the practical realization of potential under living conditions conducive to this.
How to raise a talented child?
A child's potential innate talent depends on his parents. When adults try to view their offspring as extensions of themselves, they demand too much and give too intense instructions. Then the child does not develop and form his needs, but only satisfies the unfulfilled dreams and unfulfilled desires of his mother and father. Therefore, in order to raise a gifted child, you need to listen to what interests him. The identified personal predisposition of the baby should be developed.
Inclinations, talent and genius - differences
Speaking about natural rudiments, we mean a person’s innate predisposition to a certain activity. They may appear and fade over time, depending on whether the individual has put in enough effort to develop them. For example, if from birth a child has a wide vocal range and keen hearing, it will be easier for him to become a musician by learning this skill. However, inclinations alone are not enough to talk about an individual’s giftedness. Natural qualities can only bear fruit if you work hard at them.
Another concept - abilities - is defined as the individual characteristics of a person, which are prerequisites for him to carry out outstanding activities. At the same time, the usual functionality inherent in every human being cannot be classified in this category (speech, the ability to walk, work), since it is not unique and is of a general nature. It is important that a person capable of anything has the ability to quickly acquire the knowledge and skills she needs for development.
Giftedness is a set of innate inclinations that serve as one of the conditions for the emergence of abilities. It presupposes that an individual has a strong desire for a particular occupation and has great potential for outstanding achievement in the chosen field. For example, if a child has been interested in fine arts since childhood, the prerequisites for the development of talent will be indicated by his developed imagination, the ability to see color and light subtleties, and also to find beauty in everything that surrounds him. With all this, the young talent must also have a need for self-expression.
Psychologist Daria Milai
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Talent, as mentioned above, presupposes that an individual has a certain platform for development under the appropriate favorable circumstances and persistent, long-term work. Genius represents the highest level of talent, which is characterized by an extreme degree of productivity, as well as the ability to create something fundamentally new, previously non-existent and unique. It is expressed not only as a result of the activity performed, but also by the power of its impact on the surrounding world and society.
What does it mean to be a talented person?
Talented people have a special view of the world around them ; they are less interested in everyday activities.
A person who has a talent for something will feel a constant need to engage in this type of activity.
Such people are a little out of touch with reality , as they are often immersed in their imagination, in the creative process.
How to get people interested in you? Find out the answer right now.
Types of talent and examples from life: what kind of talent a person can have
There are 7 types of talent. Later, this list was updated and supplemented with several more items that correspond to modern realities:
- Verbal-linguistic.
- Logical-mathematical.
- Bodily-kinetic.
- Interactions with nature.
- Auditory.
- Emotional.
- Spatial.
- Interpersonal.
People can be classified into one category or another if they have the aspirations and capabilities to master a certain type of activity, as well as their ability to learn quickly and master the necessary skills.
Verbal-linguistic type
Such people are distinguished by excellent command of speech, both written and oral. In addition, they often have a talent for languages. The manner in which such people present their own ideas and thoughts is extremely original, high-quality and beautiful. They make first-class writers, journalists, lawyers, speakers, and translators. Among the speakers with this talent are Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Vladimir Lenin, Steve Jobs, etc. Among the artists with this talent are such great writers as Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, William Shakespeare, Homer, etc.
What talents does a person have: list
- Verbal-linguistic. Characterized by excellent command of written and oral communication. Such people, as a rule, achieve success in philology, journalism, literary creativity and jurisprudence. They are good at writing poetry and prose, speaking in public, and various techniques of verbal and nonverbal communication. Such talented individuals include V. Ovchinnikova, a Soviet essayist and orientalist, G. Aldred, a famous American lawyer (one of the top 5 most successful lawyers in the world).
- Digital. Assumes outstanding mathematical and analytical abilities. A person with this type of giftedness easily carries out calculations, builds logical connections, and perceives the world more through the prism of numbers than through its artistic component. A great mathematician is L. Euler, who combined algebra, analysis and trigonometry and compiled general theories and laws.
- Spatial. It represents outstanding architectural and artistic data. This category includes artists, designers, sculptors, and architects. For example, the Spaniard A. Gaudi y Cornet, who knows how to work with the most daring forms in architecture.
- Physical (bodily-kinetic). Determined by aspirations for sporting achievements, as well as a predisposition to the dance field. As a rule, owners of this type of talent have natural endurance, flexibility, strength and energy, which allows them to more easily endure stress and strive for the highest results. Examples: basketball player L. James, golfer T. Woods, track and field athlete W. Bolt.
- Intrapersonal (emotional) talent manifests itself in a penchant for philosophy, self-development, and immersion in the inner world. These are deeply reflective people, mostly self-absorbed. They are prone to meditation, mastering spiritual practices, achievements regarding personal development and growth.
- Interpersonal. Reveals itself in interaction with others. These are public figures who know how to establish contact with the audience or its individual representatives. Good psychologists who have special charisma and empathy, feel the interlocutor and find the right approach to him. This category also includes politicians, actors, and entrepreneurs.
- Environmental talent. It includes those who develop themselves in agronomy, training, veterinary medicine and other areas of activity related to nature, caring for plants or animals. Like the British woman K. Drew-Baker, thanks to whom (or rather, her research on marine flora and fauna) the production of nori seaweed was established.
- Auditory (musical). Inherent in those who have a special relationship with the world of sounds. Such individuals have almost perfect pitch and feel music. Outstanding composers, singers, conductors, and musicians have such data.
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How will life change if the second option is implemented?
It will be possible to take your core skills and competencies and figure out how to continue development along this path, using talents as the basis. In a word - make a qualitative upgrade to the basis of your activity, bringing into it the high activity of your talents.
Let's agree that talent “A” gives you 1000 units of personal strength and energy. Ability “B” in this case represents 100 units. Skill “B” shoots another 5 units.
And so, if your activity is based only on abilities and skills, then your potential = 105 units. You are successful with 105 units of personal energy, and you realize exactly this amount.
What happens if you skillfully match your talents to this? The summation will occur (A+B+C) and you will get 10 times more exhaust = 1105 units.
10 times more success, fulfillment and demonstrated strength of you as an individual! You will become like a lamp that begins to shine 10 times brighter, more noticeable, more powerful.
I have no talents: what to do
Giftedness is not characteristic of all people, which makes this phenomenon unique. But everyone has the makings, which are the starting platform for the development of talent. First of all, you need to analyze whether you have a desire for something. Perhaps a particular occupation comes easily to you. Find an area that you are passionate about.
How to discover your abilities
Since this individual feature depends on the innate properties of the personality, its disclosure allows you to find your calling. The sooner you decide on this, the more time you will have for self-realization in your chosen area.
There are several basic techniques to identify hidden potential:
- introspection, childhood research;
- passing tests;
- frank conversation with a loved one;
- constant development of the inner world and worldview;
- increasing the level of expertise in a number of issues of interest, increasing knowledge;
- conducting experiments with different areas, practicing new types of activities.
Remember your childhood interests. What did you want to become in the future? What could you devote all your free time to? This period is the most sincere in life. Unblinded by public opinion and the influence of responsibility, the child intuitively reaches out to what works and brings him pleasure. Remembering the things you loved and valued at an early age can help you discover those same tendencies in yourself as an adult.
How to develop talent
After identifying your abilities, it is important to start “pumping” them. To do this, be sure to practice regularly, increasing your level of professionalism. Discovering your talent is the result of hard work, training, and diligence. By reinforcing willpower and determination, you transform from an ordinary capable person into a talented one.
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You can also follow this algorithm:
- Realize that you have the prerequisites for giftedness.
- Systematically devote time to your inclinations.
- Get out of your comfort zone, do something new, let the world know about your successes.
- Search and accumulate information that relates to your hobby.
- Get a mentor.
- Compete with your competitors periodically.
Remember how important it is to believe in yourself. You can gain a charge of positive energy and learn to move towards your dreams despite obstacles by signing up for my consultation. Don't be afraid if at some point they start criticizing you. Learn to separate subjective opinions from constructive ones and benefit from the feedback you receive. Get started now. Don’t even think about putting off self-development until tomorrow, Monday, the first of the month or the New Year. Postponing the development of your abilities until later means burying your talent deeper and deeper into the ground.
Hidden Features
Sometimes it is not immediately possible to understand what a person is inclined to do. Without using paints, he will never know that he has the makings of an artist. The only way to discover the potential hidden within is to constantly try new things. They will say that this is really “your” activity:
- ease of mastering skills;
- fast and decent results;
- feeling of fullness, no need for additional motivation.
Mastering useful skills only contributes to the development of talent when a person sees the results of his work being of high quality. And for this you need to gain as much experience as possible, train so as not to lose shape.
Children famous for their talents
Touching upon the topic of individuals known for their talents, it is impossible not to mention the youngest of them. Here is a list of some of the most talented children on the planet. And Aelita Andre opens it.
- Aelita Andre is a child artist who created her first painting at the age of nine months. She is now nine years old. She has her own workshop where she paints on canvas. During all this time, about forty paintings by Aelita were sold. They were presented several times in big cities.
- Malachi Samdy is the youngest musician to play the drum set. The boy picked up his first drumsticks when he still could not walk. At the age of four, Malakai was sent to music school, and a year later the young drummer began giving his own concerts. The boy is still improving in his creativity. He performs in orphanages, hospitals and small towns, supporting and inspiring people with his example.
- Mit Fujii is one of the youngest and most brilliant photographers. At the age of three, the boy took his first photograph, which was included in the exhibition and amazed everyone. Meath continues to take stunning photographs. His parents support him and believe that their son has a great future ahead of him.
- Autumn de Forest is a young artist widely acclaimed as one of the most talented children in the world. At the age of five, the girl took up painting. Soon her work was shown on the Discovery Channel, after which the young artist became truly famous. Now she is fourteen years old, and her work continues to occupy places in galleries along with the works of world artists.
- Cleopatra Stratan is a young singer whose talent was discovered when the girl was only three years old. At the same age, her first music album was released. Interestingly, Cleopatra is a self-taught singer.
- Danat Plushinuetanvi is one of the youngest musicians. Already at the age of three, the boy played the violin beautifully. Moreover, from an early age Danat began to paint. The boy created about three thousand paintings. Currently, the young artist and musician gives his concerts in many countries.
- Avery Molek is a young musician-drummer. Already at the age of four, the boy received real musical instruments as a gift, and a year later he began performing in his hometown. The interesting thing is that Avery learns melodies based solely on ear.
How to praise talent
Praise and support are a very important tool in developing abilities. If you discover a certain degree of giftedness or uniqueness in a loved one, be sure to show him that you are ready to support him. Let him see that you are also happy when he devotes himself to his favorite activity. Don't be afraid to overpraise him. On the contrary, the stronger your inspiration, admiration and desire to help, the faster he will believe in the correctness of his path. This is especially true for children. Do not under any circumstances ignore their impulses of creativity, but in every possible way contribute to their consolidation.
Do not forget that creative people are most often very vulnerable and impressionable. They worry if others are not interested in their successes. Simple praise can be a very valuable mechanism to push them to achieve. Talent manifests itself only with a favorable combination of the individual’s personal qualities, his inclinations and sociocultural conditions. The best time for the development and discovery of giftedness is considered to be childhood. During this period, the individual is drawn to what truly awakens an emotional response within her. It is important that the environment at home and at school is conducive to the development of the child’s abilities. But even in adulthood, a person can discover a new talent in himself. The only question is motivation, desire to achieve more and hard work.
Personal (emotional) type
Those with this type of talent are adept at developing themselves as individuals. They tend to carefully analyze their own actions and behavior, as well as everything that happens in their lives. In addition to knowing themselves well, such people love to practice various meditative and spiritual practices, and in this they really have no equal. A person with this talent becomes an excellent personal growth coach and philosopher. Among people with an emotional type of talent are Omar Khayyam, Osho, Mahatma Gandhi, etc.
Is talent a gift of nature?
In the Brockhaus dictionary, talent is defined as a high natural talent, an outstanding ability to perform in any field.
The names of famous actors, scientists, musicians, and writers immediately come to mind. Dostoevsky, Beethoven, Mendeleev, Mironov - these are the people who, undoubtedly, can be called talented people, these are the people generously endowed by nature!
A talented scientist, as if living in a world of abstractions, a writer reflecting on a new work, or a composer creating music sometimes seems somewhat strange to other people...
That is, a talented person is special, one who has outstanding abilities from birth? And only a select few can have talents?
Yes, talent is undoubtedly an indicator of special talent. But not chosenness!
And when applied to ordinary people, we also often use the word “talent”. And even more - every person by nature is talented in some way.
The theory of 10,000 hours: still work
Perhaps you have heard about the theory of 10,000 hours of work? Its author, M. Gladwell, claims that it is ten thousand hours of hard work that allow a person to perfectly master a certain skill, regardless of the ratio of the person’s talents and abilities.
In the group of subjects (these were students learning to play the violin), outstanding results were achieved only by those who spent exactly the same number of hours on training. Violinists who spent 8,000 hours practicing showed good results. Those who limited themselves to 4,000 hours of training received a very mediocre level of training.
Does this mean that by devoting a strictly defined time to honing a certain skill, you will become an unsurpassed professional in your chosen field of activity?
Indeed, the intensive efforts that you make when mastering this or that type of activity will contribute to a specific restructuring of your brain, and therefore will make you very effective in your chosen field.
The most talented nation in the world
In trying to determine which country's representative is the most talented, people have had a lot of debate, primarily because it is difficult to determine what criterion of uniqueness can be taken as a basis. If high intelligence is taken as the main criterion of talent, then judging by the Nobel Prize laureates, the most extraordinary people in the world live in the following countries:
- USA – more than a third of the laureates live in this country.
- Great Britain – every year British scientists win championships in some field.
- Germany - the German machine is trying to be the first in everything, including in the field of discoveries.
- France – in the field of art, literature, painting, this state has no equal.
- Sweden – the birthplace of Alfred Nobel closes the top five.
Two meanings of the expression “Bury talent in the ground”
Previously, the expression “Bury talent in the ground” had a completely different meaning than the one we put into it today. Like the word “talent” itself, which originally meant the largest monetary unit in Ancient Greece, Persia, and Babylon.
The expression “Bury a talent in the ground” comes from the Gospel parable about how one rich man, before leaving for another country, distributed talents (coins) to three of his slaves. He gave 5 talents to one of them, 2 to the second, 1 to the third. The first two slaves invested the coins given to them in the business, and the third buried his silver talent in the ground.
When the master returned, the two slaves gave him more money than they received. The third returned only one coin, which he kept in the ground. Those who did not bury their talents, but multiplied them, received praise. The master called the third one wicked and lazy.
In modern language, “burying talent in the ground” means not developing a gift given from above.
Kindness and love for people is also a talent!
Today, people who can truly sympathize, help, and lend a shoulder are becoming increasingly rare. The ability to remain a decent person in our time can also be considered a special and rather rare talent. Even sincere friendliness and goodwill are definitely a talent. And it is no less important for the development of humanity than the talent to move science forward or develop art.
If the ability to be humane is not given by nature, it is worth making an effort to cultivate it.
So it turns out that talent is not only a gift given by God; it, first of all, depends on human perseverance and the desire to become more perfect.
