Early in our lives we are told about icebergs and how only 10% of the ice is visible above the surface. The same can be said about the lives we live. In fact, most people will only use 10% of their potential over their lifetime. That’s a hard fact that most of us will refuse to accept.
Think about the other 90% of your talent that might be unused. For many that talent may be accumulated wisdom over a lifetime that goes unshared. For others it might be an extension of your skills into new areas. There are likely creative talents that never get a chance to develop. Others may be called to change their life direction to one of purpose.
So why don’t we look under the water to explore what might be there. Certainly, life happens and becomes all consuming. Or might that be an excuse? Maybe our initial use of our hidden talent meets with a tepid response. So, we give up thinking that we have nothing to offer. Or is that simply a convenient rationalization? For others financial worries might be a barrier too high to climb. Or is that simply being scared? We are great at offering justifications for our unused talents.
So, how do we start using the talent that has been hidden. The one universal truth in finding our hidden talent comes from being aware of opportunities that we encounter, virtually every day. These are small events in our lives that generally go unnoticed. To discover your potential talent, dip your toe is the water to see how it feels. For example, a person asking you for guidance, may eventually lead you to becoming a valued mentor for others. When a child asks you to read them a story, think about creating your own. This may unleash your story telling potential. It won’t be hard to find many opportunities to explore talents you didn’t know you had.
We need to be aware of and pay attention to our three brains. The brain in our head, the cephalic brain, is what we normally think of when we refer to our brain. This is the brain that is best suited for logic and problem solving. This is the brain that provides for the 10% of our talent and gives us a career. Our heart brain, the cardiac brain, gives us passion and compassion that often helps live a life of purpose. The third brain is our gut, the enteric brain. It is the source of courage that we need to live a life using the other 90% of our talent. In most cases, the connection between these three brains is upward in our body.
We need to explore change in our life direction through all three brains, and not just the one in our head. Sometimes we need to let our gut and head tell us is the right thing to do. When you explore the lives of those known for greatness, they listened to all these brains that make the fullest use of their talent that would have otherwise be hidden before the water’s surface.