9 Questions to Unlock Your Unique Ability

There are too many people in the world today doing crap they don’t enjoy.  I used to be one of those people.

It was only through introspection and reflecting on past experiences that I started to get clearer on my own strengths and unique ability.  By quietly contemplating a variety of questions in my life I began to see different sides of myself – and with this lens of reality I began to explore new opportunities.

When I started to explore entrepreneurship I didn’t know very much about myself.  I actually only had a vague idea of what I wanted to do.  At one point I thought entrepreneurship would work for me.  But that dream quickly faded when I realized I didn’t have an entrepreneurial personality.

But be aware of the great trickster.  Relying on your personality to find your true unique ability is a mistake.  If there is one truth it’s that your personality and human psyche are plastic.  They will take any shape based on your predominant thought patterns.

So the best thing you can do right now, is to start with what you’ve got.  Even a ten year old boy has had some amazing personal experiences.  Experiences that have taught him something about what brings him joy and fulfillment in his life.  That’s where you’ve got to start.

Look at your life and really take the time to sit down and quietly answer these questions.  Here are 9 questions that have helped me become clearer on my unique ability:

Q #1: When was the last time I felt that my life was most meaningful?

Q #2: When do I feel that I’m offering the best of myself to others?

Q #3: How do I express the best of myself to others?

Q #4: When do I find that I’m the happiest and what am I doing?

Q #5: What past three experiences have brought joy and happiness into my life?

Q #6: What comes naturally and effortlessly to me?

Q #7: What do others think comes naturally and effortlessly to me?

Q #8: What are some of my hobbies?  What do I do for fun?

Q #9: What activities have brought fulfillment and passion into my life?

Like I said, you’ve got to start where you are.  An object in motion tends to stay in motion, but you’ve got to get moving first.  Start by answering these questions and be on the look out for patterns in your life; areas that bring you the most joy and fulfillment.

Once you trigger those memories that bring joy into your life, ask yourself how you can you bring more of these experiences into your life.  Then begin at once to explore new opportunities that bring you closer to living your unique ability.

If you really liked this article, then you also might like: 3 Keys to Living a Purpose Driven Life

16 Comments

  • Jessica

    Reply Reply July 8, 2009

    Pretty much all the questions had to do with my kids! I love being a mom, its all I ever wanted to do when I was a kid. I did a meditation once and one of the messages for me in that meditation was that I came to this earth to be a mother. This exercise confirmed that I was not just imagining that. Sometimes I feel like I’m not contributing to society b/c I am so busy with my kids but knowning that this is what I came here to do, makes me feel at ease about it. Thank you!

  • Christina Crowe

    Reply Reply July 8, 2009

    Great advice! It’s better to contemplate now than decide later what you want to do and have it die.

    I’ve always thought that the best path to take in life is to follow your heart. If you choose to follow the path you love, you’ll most likely stick with it in the long run. You’ll enjoy what your doing and put more effort into it as well, making your work blossom with purpose.

    I think that this activity is a great way to open your eyes and truly figure out what you’re all about.

    Thanks for the advice! This is my first time here and, I’m sure others will agree, I love your writing style! Can’t wait to read more.

  • Steve

    Reply Reply July 9, 2009

    Hi Christina and welcome. I love this :-)

    “I’ve always thought that the best path to take in life is to follow your heart. If you choose to follow the path you love, you’ll most likely stick with it in the long run. You’ll enjoy what your doing and put more effort into it as well, making your work blossom with purpose.” ~ Christina

  • Srinivas Rao

    Reply Reply July 9, 2009

    Hey Steve,

    Thanks for putting this together. Tony Robbins talks alot about morning power questions, and I think you really nailed how to really shift our focus to what we’re capable of.

  • Steve

    Reply Reply July 10, 2009

    @ Srini:

    thank Srini. I think what Tony does and what most of the teachers on the Secret all agree on is that it’s important to start your day with the right mindset – and the right questions are a great way to “hook” the mind and build that mindset.

    As an aside, I noticed that Tony Robbins is doing these infomercials again just like he did back in the 1980’s. I guess he’s got this big promotion on.

    This made me think that it just goes to show us that when times are tough, the big players take action to create their own ‘luck.’ They continue to provide irresistible value to help people and grow their business while a great number of other people sit back and wait for their ‘luck’ to show up.

  • Al

    Reply Reply August 25, 2009

    Thanks for posting this. As an individual who has been searching for that unique something in my life, this post has confirmed that I am on a good path and headed in a good direction.

    I look forward to reading more.

  • myronette

    Reply Reply October 29, 2011

    My husband found your list and we are incorporating it into our “Technology-Less Tuesday” this next week. We are looking forward to exploring our unique abilities!

    I posted a link to this post as well as the questions we’ll be reviewing over at my blog:

    http://www.myronette.com/2011/10/28/technology-less-tuesday

    Thanks for this great conversation starter!!

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