Jonathan looked at his watch; it was 5:57 pm. A feeling of helplessness at being late again ran through his body. He only had one traffic light to cross to reach his destination, but it didn’t seem to help him. As usual, the crowded intersection swallowed his hope of being on time.
This meeting promised long-awaited answers to him. He couldn’t wait for this Tuesday to come, and the 6 pm appointment felt a desert away from the 6 am alarm.
Here he was, hoping that answers would manifest and worrying that they wouldn’t - again. Jonathan was quite an average-looking young man: somewhat tall, somewhat fit. He had nothing memorable about the way he dressed. The light finally turned green, and he crossed the road with the crowd and rushed into the building.
He always had ideas - many interesting ideas about life, people, businesses. What was unusual about him was the deep insight in his head. The ideas were like a bunch of birds that were constantly looking for a way out; the door just had to have certain qualities for the birds to get their freedom. The ideas never really found a way to be expressed or realized, and none stood out as more worthy than the others.
In everything he tried in life, whether studying, working, or a hobby, he achieved mastery very quickly. He got bored with everything. Nothing could hold his interest for a long-term pursuit. A nagging feeling of not doing the core thing, because he didn’t know what the core thing was, kept him trying again and again.
He had a passion to have a passion in his life. He was so jealous of people who knew what their passion was – whether it was to do pottery or be a businessman or be a truck driver. He just didn’t know what HIS passion was. What in the world could become something he could spend years mastering, hours practicing, and truly enjoy? He had tried so many things. This evening promised just one more attempt, which could be a step on the way or it could give answers.
What made Jonathan unique was the passion he had to discover what his passion actually was. The ease he had achieving mastery in all the things he tried made it more difficult, as he appeared to have talent in everything he did…
There are people who are generally gifted. And, yes, there are people who seem gifted in everything they touch. “Oh, what a problem to have! Big deal!” one could say. But it turns out it is not so much a problem of the external environment, but rather an internal one.
1. A more common scenario with human talent is when we try various activities, don’t enjoy some, or are not good at some, so they are easy to dismiss, and we move towards those that are enjoyable and feasible.
2. But another dynamic exists: some people are simply more gifted. They become proficient at many different things and may genuinely enjoy a wide range of activities, but their interest only lasts for a limited time.
If you master everything easily and enjoy most activities or hobbies for a while, it is much more difficult to filter out what is truly yours.
If we take a school metaphor: some kids are good at some subjects and not good at others, and that becomes an easy filter for future professional path. But some kids are good at EVERY subject, and they really struggle with where to place their focus, because the filter is not there.
‘You are too good … at everything!’
How can people with this level of talent find something suitable for them in the long run, for a hobby or for a profession?
HMMMMM……
Trial and error is always an option, but we run into the time constraint. We don’t live forever.
One way I see, use, and that works is: analyze not your talent and capability, but your personality. Build a personality portrait that can work like a filter for vocations. Then see what professions can help that unique combination of personality traits to flourish through their activities.
In other words, it is not what you DO that is the filter, but what you ARE.
The philosophy here is that the more your personality traits are utilized in your occupation, the more fulfilling, enjoyable, and masterful your career has the potential to be.
How did Jonathan do? He did excellent. He had his deep personality assessment completed, and he had answers. Not all of them, not the full and final picture. But it was a GROUND. An internal ground he now had within himself to step on and keep working from there. He is on his way to becoming a fulfilled and masterful professional who will do his job very well because he learned WHO HE IS.
This meeting promised long-awaited answers to him. He couldn’t wait for this Tuesday to come, and the 6 pm appointment felt a desert away from the 6 am alarm.
Here he was, hoping that answers would manifest and worrying that they wouldn’t - again. Jonathan was quite an average-looking young man: somewhat tall, somewhat fit. He had nothing memorable about the way he dressed. The light finally turned green, and he crossed the road with the crowd and rushed into the building.
He always had ideas - many interesting ideas about life, people, businesses. What was unusual about him was the deep insight in his head. The ideas were like a bunch of birds that were constantly looking for a way out; the door just had to have certain qualities for the birds to get their freedom. The ideas never really found a way to be expressed or realized, and none stood out as more worthy than the others.
In everything he tried in life, whether studying, working, or a hobby, he achieved mastery very quickly. He got bored with everything. Nothing could hold his interest for a long-term pursuit. A nagging feeling of not doing the core thing, because he didn’t know what the core thing was, kept him trying again and again.
He had a passion to have a passion in his life. He was so jealous of people who knew what their passion was – whether it was to do pottery or be a businessman or be a truck driver. He just didn’t know what HIS passion was. What in the world could become something he could spend years mastering, hours practicing, and truly enjoy? He had tried so many things. This evening promised just one more attempt, which could be a step on the way or it could give answers.
What made Jonathan unique was the passion he had to discover what his passion actually was. The ease he had achieving mastery in all the things he tried made it more difficult, as he appeared to have talent in everything he did…
------------------------------------------
There are people who are generally gifted. And, yes, there are people who seem gifted in everything they touch. “Oh, what a problem to have! Big deal!” one could say. But it turns out it is not so much a problem of the external environment, but rather an internal one.
1. A more common scenario with human talent is when we try various activities, don’t enjoy some, or are not good at some, so they are easy to dismiss, and we move towards those that are enjoyable and feasible.
2. But another dynamic exists: some people are simply more gifted. They become proficient at many different things and may genuinely enjoy a wide range of activities, but their interest only lasts for a limited time.
If you master everything easily and enjoy most activities or hobbies for a while, it is much more difficult to filter out what is truly yours.
If we take a school metaphor: some kids are good at some subjects and not good at others, and that becomes an easy filter for future professional path. But some kids are good at EVERY subject, and they really struggle with where to place their focus, because the filter is not there.
‘You are too good … at everything!’
How can people with this level of talent find something suitable for them in the long run, for a hobby or for a profession?
HMMMMM……
Trial and error is always an option, but we run into the time constraint. We don’t live forever.
One way I see, use, and that works is: analyze not your talent and capability, but your personality. Build a personality portrait that can work like a filter for vocations. Then see what professions can help that unique combination of personality traits to flourish through their activities.
In other words, it is not what you DO that is the filter, but what you ARE.
The philosophy here is that the more your personality traits are utilized in your occupation, the more fulfilling, enjoyable, and masterful your career has the potential to be.
------------------------------------------
How did Jonathan do? He did excellent. He had his deep personality assessment completed, and he had answers. Not all of them, not the full and final picture. But it was a GROUND. An internal ground he now had within himself to step on and keep working from there. He is on his way to becoming a fulfilled and masterful professional who will do his job very well because he learned WHO HE IS.