What Is Your Core Talent?

Jack Canfield, of Chicken Soup for the Soul fame, followed that blockbuster with other bestsellers. Among those is The Success Principles, a book which Eric Lofholm discussed during October in his free 15-minute daily motivational call.

Last Thursday Eric focused on Canfield's principle #39, where he reminds us that we each have a core talent. We are so good at that one thing that it's like “falling off a log” for us. Because it comes so naturally to us, we tend to think it's not very valuable. Fact is, that thing that comes so easily to you is very difficult for most other people. They'll pay you, often very well, to do it for them so they can focus on what they do well.

Discovering your core talent takes some introspection, maybe even some help from a coach. Quite possibly it seems so natural that it's invisible to you. It is in you somewhere, whether or not you're aware of it! You're one of few who find it so easy and can do it so well.

Having found what you can uniquely offer the world, your job becomes:

• Find the people who need and/or want what you do so easily.

• Craft an attractive offer to provide it as a service or product to them, so they can focus their time and energy on their core talent.

• Hire other people to do what comes harder for you, so you can focus your time and energy on your core talent.

(For example, I love writing about these subjects. It's easy and fun for me. I can analyze SEO and edit to improve it, but it's hard work for me and I don't like it. So I hire an assistant to do that. He also takes care of some other things I'd rather not spend time, energy and attention on.)

• Collect the benefits of selling your unique value while you feel like you're not really “working”. And be satisfied that you're making a positive contribution to the world.

Keep in mind, others may do the finding and offering I mentioned in the first two steps better than you do. Hire them!Do you like doing that, and do it well? Great – do it yourself!

Stories abound about people who have done something they didn't really enjoy for years. They leave or retire from that work and do something they're passionate about. They're more successful doing what they love than they ever were in their “safe” job!

Assemble a team of collaborators (some may be employees) to do the things you'd rather not be bothered with or that you can both benefit from (e.g. marketing to each other's networks). With collaborators it often works well to trade services. No monetary cost for either of you, and you both get more effective! How's that for win-win?

Focus on what you easily do better than most, and that you enjoy.

What you do well and easily, you will enjoy. And usually, what you truly enjoy, you will do easily and well. Let your team do the rest and reward them well when they do their bit well!