A Quick Guide to Making the Most of Your Talents

Optimizing your life means reaching your full potential. A key part of that, I believe, is making the most of your talents.

The fact is, everyone has talents that they can use to contribute to the world. You have talents that you can use to make a difference in people’s lives. The question is: have you made the most of your talents?

I still have a lot to learn, but here are some tips on how to make the most of your talents.

1. Identify Your Top Intelligences

First of all, you need to know your talents. A simple way to do that is identifying your multiple intelligences. Take a self-assessment test like this one to find out. What are your top three intelligences?

2. Think About How You Can Use Them

After identifying your top intelligences, you should think about how you can use them. For instance, one of my top intelligences is verbal. One way to use it is writing. Another way to use it is public speaking.

What about you? How can you use your top intelligences?

3. Increase Your Knowledge

Now that you know how to use your top intelligences, you should increase your knowledge about them. Read books. Watch videos. Take online courses. In my case, I read books such as this and this on writing.

4. Create Something

It’s not enough just to learn about something; you need to put it into practice by creating something. Having a side project is a good way to do this.

If possible, create something that combines your top intelligences. In my case, writing about personal development combines two of my top intelligences: verbal and intrapersonal. Try to find such an intersection in your case.

5. Expand Your Capacity

Making the most of your talents requires you to keep expanding your capacity. How? By taking increasingly difficult challenges!

It’s similar to weight lifting. If you are able to lift 100 pounds but keep lifting it all the time, your capacity won’t increase. You need to move to the next level and lift something heavier.