Many writers, artists and other specialists, reaching certain stages of professional development, had doubts about their abilities. Moreover, such doubts are natural at the very beginning of a life or professional path. There are several good ways to reliably identify your abilities.
Instruction manual
one
Take special testing. Many different tests have appeared on the Internet. If the source is not known, it is better not to get carried away with such tests, so as not to get confused even more. There are many teachings on personality types, heredity, etc. Contact a specialist of any direction who will help you competently pass good tests. Do not dwell on this step or attach too much importance to it.
2
Refuse to complete some tasks so that you have a certain amount of free time daily. Call this time "Ability Tutorial." Spend this lesson for yourself for a long time, for example, throughout the year. What can you do?
Take a look around and start doing something that you have never done before or for which you did not have enough time. Plant trees, learn to play the guitar, learn Chinese, paint, embroider cross-stitch, train dogs, teach maths to your neighbors, go camping, etc.
Just try everything that fits your soul. It doesn’t matter if you get it or not. The main thing is whether you feel joy from the process itself, whether you think about it, or whether you begin to make plans. Some activities will quickly bore you, and some may be fascinating. Do not attach too much importance to this step, just notice for yourself what activities give you inner joy.
3
Watch people around you daily. What gives them joy, what are your actions? What are you doing, why do people get brighter? Note this for yourself. Also ask people around you what they think you have abilities for. Interview dozens of people if you can. Write down their answers.
4
Compare the results of the 3 previous steps. Somewhere at the intersection, your abilities should "highlight". Think about in what particular case they could be brightly manifested. Even if it is a violin game, and you are already 90 years old and you have never been involved in music, do not discard this idea as hopeless. History knows many cases when people, even in old age, began to learn something from scratch and achieved outstanding results, after a certain number of years.
5
As soon as you get clarity about your abilities and understand in what business you can show them, the most important thing begins. Find a professional who has already achieved success in this business. This must be a professional who can give qualified advice. Get a meeting with him and ask a question, should you do this business, do you have the ability to do this.
A professional will very quickly determine your actual chances of success. He will not be a hypocrite and say something to you in comfort, but he will give a truly impartial assessment. It will not be difficult for him to appreciate a beginner. If he confirms that you really have the ability, then you can rest assured.
note
Anyone can be wrong, even a professional. If a specialist said that you have no ability in something, but you do not agree with this, then contact another professional, then a third.
If a business is not very good for you, but it gives you joy and you are ready to work hard and hard on it, then most likely you have abilities in this area.
Stephen Scott became a millionaire in marketing and advertising. But he went through a difficult period when the boss fired him from his job and said that he would never succeed in marketing. Remember this.
Useful advice
To find out what you are capable of, you have to try a lot, and often this is not enough time. Stop watching TV, "hang" on the Internet, chatting with friends. Get busy.