My definition for Talent DNA is, “The capacity to repeat an action at an exceptional level of performance”. It is not a one-time action. It is not a flash in the pan or a one hit wonder. The very nature of Talent DNA is that I can do it over and over again and I continue to get better at it.
As you look at your children and attempt to figure out their Talent DNA Code, the question of repeatability is very important. If we want to help them discover what their innate Talent DNA is, and what they can become great at, we need to observe what is natural to them. Being natural means they just know how to and can do it over and over and over again. It is part of their God-given design. They have been given a gift. It is something we need to help them become aware of more and more.
Most importantly they need to be grateful for it. Talents are gifts. Your child neither earned it nor did they or you go to some specialized Talent store and purchase it. For children (and adults) who never learn to be grateful for their Talents, those Talents become sources of arrogance and destruction. They become corrupted as we have seen so vividly demonstrated in the real life and regularly reported on actions of Johnny Manziel. There are many more examples we all know. Gifts are meant to be shared and used to serve others.
Identifying a “natural” capacity means, if your child can repeat an action at a better than average level of performance and continue to do it better and better, that is a Talent. They then need to own it and take the responsibility to develop it. Part of the development is your responsibility as a parent to provide opportunity and schedule time for your child to do more of what they are natural at.
If your child struggles to repeat something they did well once, that probably requires more inquiry. If it becomes an uphill battle in their attempts to repeat it, it is likely they don’t have the Talent DNA. Just remember, everyone has something and your child has unique and magnificent Talents – they just need identifying.
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