It never ceases to amaze me how often people are their own harshest critics and assume some level of failure because they haven’t found the level of success or happiness they expect in life. The root of this unhappiness is usually a total disregard for what they do well naturally and repeated attempts to succeed with skills they have acquired rather than those with which they were innately gifted. They focus on their inability to succeed as the problem instead of on their need to change the nature of the capacities, skills, and abilities they are using. The confusion is at the center of the seventh principle of Perceptual Style Theory or PST.
PST Principle #7: Most people do not use their natural capacities, skills, and abilities consciously, regularly, or to their advantage.
Success and satisfaction in life or work is most often due to conscious development and use of natural strengths. Happiness and fulfillment in life and work is so elusive because, as both our experience and the statistics show, most people have little knowledge of what their natural strengths are. Why is that?
Part of the answer lies in the misinterpretation of the old adage “anything worth having is worth working for.” You’ll find versions of this proverb in most every language in the world. The true meaning is that life doesn’t just hand you the things you want – you do need to consciously take action. The misinterpretation is the value placed on the word “work.” There’s an underlying assumption that work has to be hard, not fun. That’s why it’s called work – right?
So, people tend to undervalue what they are naturally good at. Because it is easy for them, they assume everyone can do it. And because it’s not hard work, then it must not be the key to success. In fact, the exact opposite is true. The more you consciously use your natural skills, the more they become true talents – Your Talent Advantage – and the more enjoyment and success you have in all aspects of your life. This isn’t just a slogan, it’s true.
We all learn and use acquired skills – that’s just a fact of life. But there is no reason that your life needs to be built on “working” at acquired skills. The first thing to do is to take time to understand what comes naturally to you, give yourself credit for your natural talents, and find ways to use them more often in all parts of your life.
While we all intellectually understand the benefit of doing more of what we do best, the difference you’ll experience in your everyday life will be so significant, so enjoyable, so easy – in fact, words fail to convey an adequate description. Consciously using your natural talents is at the core of “living your passion,” “success in life,” “finding meaning,” “attracting what you want,” “inner bliss,” etc, etc. It’s what gives life joy and meaning. Don’t wait; start living your talents today!
Lynda-Ross Vega: A partner at Vega Behavioral Consulting, Ltd., Lynda-Ross specializes in helping entrepreneurs and coaches build dynamite teams and
systems that WORK. She is co-creator of Perceptual Style Theory, a revolutionary psychological assessment system that teaches people how to unleash their deepest potentials for success. For free information on how to succeed as an entrepreneur or coach, create a thriving business and build your bottom line doing more of what you love, visit www.ACIforCoaches.com.