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I chatted with a friend who graduated two or three years ago over the weekend, and we talked about the word "talent".
He said something that left me stunned for several seconds.
He said, "I feel like I don't have any talent."
That sentence sounds pretty ordinary, right? But for some reason, my heart skipped a beat.
Because I've felt that way countless times too.
Some might say, "What's the big deal? There are plenty of people who aren't talented. You're not a genius, so what's there to worry about ?"
But what bothers me isn't actually the conclusion that "I have no talent" itself.
What I'm struggling with is what standards we're using to define talent.
We have all misunderstood the definition of talent.
Think about it carefully. What have we heard about talent from childhood to adulthood?
Being good at math is a talent. Being good at drawing is a talent. Being a good singer is a talent.
What do these statements have in common?
It's all about the point where you're better than others.
It all comes down to your skill level, which allows you to surpass the average level in a particular field.
But the problem is, since you're just an ordinary person, how can you possibly be much better than others in everything?
Think about it yourself, what do you have that truly sets you apart from most people?
It's possible, but the probability is low.
There might be one or two things where you're slightly better than the people around you, but it's only a tiny bit.
It's far from being considered "talent".
Talent isn't about being better than others, it's about doing things without feeling tired.
This is the most awkward part.
We define talent as "being better than others," and then use this standard to demand things of every ordinary person.
What was the result?
As a result, the vast majority of people, throughout their lives, feel that they have no talent.
They all felt that they were the kind of people who were "okay in everything, but not outstanding in anything".
They all felt that this was how their lives would be.
To be honest, this feeling is suffocating.
I came across a very interesting quote online a couple of days ago.
The gist is that the way ordinary people find their talents is not by looking for "what makes me better than others".
Instead, look for things that "don't incur extra costs when I do them."
Think about this sentence carefully.
What does it mean that it will not generate any additional consumption?
It means that you don't need to force yourself when you do this.
There's no need to rely on willpower to persevere.
There's no need to keep telling yourself, "Just hang in there, just hang in there."
You just did it naturally.
Just like eating and drinking, there is no sense of struggle.
What is the difference between talent and interest?
Some might say, isn't this just "interest"?
Not quite the same.
Interest is something you enjoy doing, but liking something doesn't mean you won't put in the effort.
You may enjoy playing video games, but you'll get tired after playing for an entire afternoon.
You might enjoy watching movies, but you'll get tired of watching three in a row.
But the "non-consumption" aspect of talent goes a step further than interest.
It means that when you do something, you not only enjoy it, but your whole state of mind is relaxed.
You won't feel tired.
Even after you've finished, you might feel a little good.
I want to continue.
Let me give you an example and you'll understand.
I have a friend who loves to organize things.
It's not the kind of obsessive-compulsive tidying; it's just that he naturally likes to organize messy things neatly.
Others might see this as a chore, but he sees it as a way to relieve stress.
It takes others half an hour to organize a wardrobe, but he finishes it in ten minutes and still wants more.
If you ask him to write a 5000-word article, he can sit there and suffer for three hours.
But if you ask him to tidy up a room that's a complete mess, he'll finish in two hours and feel refreshed.
This is talent.
It's not that he's better at organizing than everyone else, but that he doesn't expend energy when doing this.
Three questions to help you find your talent
Think about it, is there anything that makes you feel this way?
Some of you might say, "No, I feel tired no matter what I do."
Let me ask you from another angle.
Is there anything you find easier to stick to than others?
You don't need to force yourself; it will just happen naturally.
Others might give up after three days, but you've unknowingly been doing it for three months.
Others might find this incredibly boring and tedious, but you find it quite interesting.
That's most likely where your talent lies.
Not all strengths are simply those directions that are easy for you to pursue.
Think about it, what do you naturally do after you get off work every day?
What do you naturally do when you're not working on weekends?
When you're scrolling through your phone, what content do you naturally linger on?
If you connect these points, you can roughly see an outline.
It's not some earth-shattering talent, nor is it some grand narrative of "I want to change the world".
It's that thing that's easy for you to do and easier for you to stick to than for others.
Find it, and then do it.
It's that simple.
The value of talent is not in whether it can put food on the table.
I know some of you might say, "So what if we find it? It's not like we can put food on the table."
This idea is very reasonable.
I completely understand.
You're not an artist; you don't need to make a living by painting. You're not a programmer; you don't need to make a living by writing code. You're just an ordinary office worker, handling mundane tasks every day. What good is finding a talent then?
But what I want to say is that the value of talent is not in whether it can put food on the table.
The value of talent lies in the fact that it allows you to find a foothold in "being yourself".
You don't need to make money from it, nor do you need to become famous through it.
All you need to know is that there is one thing in this world that you can do without feeling tired.
Just knowing this is enough to give you a little peace of mind on many late nights when you're wondering "What am I doing?"
Know yourself, the oldest and most fundamental question.
Three inscriptions are carved on the gate of the ancient Greek Temple of Delphi.
The most famous quote among them is, "Know thyself."
People from thousands of years ago were already pondering this matter.
Today, we are still trapped by the definition that "talent is simply being better than others".
In fact, finding your talent is, in essence, a part of understanding yourself.
Instead of finding an external benchmark, look inward and see which task you do when you feel relaxed.
There is no need to pretend.
It was something that happened naturally.
How to find your talent? Here are the essential tips for finding your talent.
Everyone says that finding your talent is important, but for an ordinary person, talent isn't the thing that makes you better than others.
Since you are just an ordinary person, it's unlikely that you can develop a strength in anything that is significantly better than that of an average person.
For ordinary people, finding their talent is essentially about finding:
- You do something
- It won't incur any extra costs for you.
- You are more likely to persevere than others.
That's most likely where your talent lies, not all your strengths. Here's the real tip for finding your talent.
Frankly, I don't know if this article will be useful to anyone.
Because I'm still exploring myself, and I keep asking myself what I'm good at and what I'm suited for.
But one thing I'm becoming increasingly certain of is this:
Talent is something you can't find; you can feel it.
You don't need to do any assessments or ask ten people, "What do you think I'm good at?"
You just need to go back to the simplest question: What do you do that doesn't tire you out?
Then do it.
It's that simple.
I hope that the article "How Can Ordinary People Find Their Own Talent? This Set of Breakthrough Strategies Helps You Accurately Locate Your Core Strengths," shared on Chen Weiliang's blog ( https://www.chenweiliang.com/ ), will be helpful to you.
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