By Khalilah Starks

Find the one thing that you could do for free and then find a way to get paid for it.  That’s what many people see as the key to career happiness.  And, I do agree.  It’s all about utilizing your natural talents and marrying them with your passion.  But accomplishing this can be quite difficult, especially if you’ve worked hard to build a career doing something completely different.  The good news is that your natural talents are with you and you’re more than likely using them right now, even if you don’t realize it.

Here are some tips to help you uncover your natural talents and find what you’re truly passionate about:

1. Develop Your List of Natural Talents.

The first step to finding your passion is spending the necessary mental energy to figure out your natural talents.  This is all about self reflection.  Think about what comes easily to you.  These are your natural talents.  Natural talents still need to be developed like any other learned talent.  But, you’ll get more enjoyment out of honing these talents.  And, you’ll find that it’s easier to develop natural talents as opposed to those that are not natural.

Your career should allow you to use these talents on a daily basis.  As you move closer to finding your career passion, you’ll want to ensure that you have the ability to use these natural talents that you’ve identified.  For example, communicating is extremely easy for me.  Probably a little too easy – I’ll spend the entire day talking with friends and won’t get any work done.  So, blogging is a natural fit for me.

2. Figure Out Your Interests.

In order for there to be passion, there must be interest.  Develop a list of things that you care about and things that you enjoy doing.  You probably have many.  It’s not uncommon to have lots of interests.  But, you’ll find that your true passion is somewhere near the top of the list.  Don’t get frustrated if you have too many interests.  This is all about self discovery.  You’ll start to narrow down your list as you determine which interests will allow you to use your natural talents.  The key to blissful career happiness is finding a way to marry your natural talents with your passion and interests.

3. Be Honest With Yourself.

There are things that we’re naturally good at and things that we just love to do.  Your career passion should encompass both.  You should love what you do, but it should be something that you’re naturally good at as well.  I absolutely love to dance.  And, I love performing on stage.  But, a professional dancer, I will never be.  I consider this more of a hobby.  I love to dance, but wouldn’t expect to make a living from it.  Now, that doesn’t mean that you can’t start a career in an area that is affiliated with something that you love to do.  For example, many former athletes have gone on to become extremely successful sports commentators, agents and coaches.

4. Think About What You’re Already Doing For Free.

Your passion is probably right under your nose and you don’t even know it.  Here’s the thing about passion and natural talents, it hardly feels like work.  You could spend five hours working on something related to your passion and not even realize it.  However, that same five hours spent on work that isn’t tied to your passion will feel more like ten hours.

So ask yourself, what are you already doing for free?  What do people typically call on you for when they need some help?  Are you the computer whiz that everyone calls when there’s a problem with their computer?  Are you the fashion forward fashionista that everyone calls when trying to figure out the latest trends or what to wear to a special event?  I was the go to person for anything HR and career related well before starting High Powered Professional.

5. Be Willing To Try Different Things

You have to be open to trying different things.  That’s the only way that you’ll know if something is for you.  I tried a lot of different things before starting High Powered Professional.  I sold jewelry.  I made and sold gift baskets.  If I had the slightest interest, I tried it.  My aunt actually encouraged me to start my blog.  And, I wasn’t even sold on the idea of blogging at first.  But, I decided to try it because it sounded interesting.  Well, I loved it and found my passion!  And, you can too!

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