What does it mean to realize your talents, and how do you do it?

What are some of the psychological issues that can get in the way?

What are some of the personal characteristics that self-actualizing people share?

This article will be at least a start toward looking at those big questions.

A definition of the word “realize” includes “to grasp or understand clearly; to make real; give reality to.”

Realizing our talents is an active, continuing process of knowing not only what we can do, but who we are.

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“Each of us has a tendency to underestimate his or her own abilities. “We should realize that we have deep within ourselves deep reservoirs of great ability, even genius that can be tapped if we’ll just dig deep enough.” Earl Nightingale – from his article The Great Problem-Solving Tool

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“Women, as well as men, were given minds to use and the ability to develop skills in various ways.

“I believe this is so primarily because, in the scheme of the universe, for real satisfaction every human being must earn his living. “If you have gifts, natural gifts, and you never develop them, you are as guilty as the man in the Bible who wrapped his talent in a napkin and buried it so he could return to his Master what his Master had given him.” Eleanor Roosevelt [1884-1962]

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“Self actualization is not only an end state but also the process of actualizing one’s potentialities at any time, in any amount…

“Self-actualization means using one’s intelligence. It does not mean doing some far-out thing necessarily, but it may mean going through an arduous and demanding period of preparation in order to realize one’s possibilities…

“Self actualization means working to do well the thing that one wants to do.”

One of the influential psychologists who defined the human potential movement was Abraham Maslow (1908–1970). That quote is from his article Self-Actualizing and Beyond.

[continued]

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Are creative people unusually sensitive?

Many reports by artists, as well as research findings, confirm that is often true.

Of course, being creative is not limited to people identified as artists, or even pursuing creative ventures.

Both creativity and being sensitive are on a spectrum – a range of different levels.

And being sensitive does not mean you are necessarily creative or an artist.

Oh please be careful with me, I’m sensitive And I’d like to stay that way … From the song I’m Sensitive by Jewel Kilcher - from her debut album Pieces of You

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Writer Pearl Buck made a very strong declaration about sensitivity:

“The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: A human creature born abnormally, inhumanely sensitive. “To them… a touch is a blow, a sound is a noise, a misfortune is a tragedy, a joy is an ecstasy, a friend is a lover, a lover is a god, and failure is death.

“Add to this cruelly delicate organism the overpowering necessity to create, create, create — so that without the creating of music or poetry or books or buildings or something of meaning, their very breath is cut off… “They must create, must pour out creation. By some strange, unknown, inward urgency they are not really alive unless they are creating.” Pearl Buck (1892-1973) Her novel The Good Earth won a Pulitzer Prize, and in 1938 she won the Nobel Prize in literature.

Pearl Buck’s statement, even if today it sounds overblown, is something you may relate to if you experience high sensitivity, and a compelling need to create.

And that connection continues to be confirmed by many people’s personal experience, as well as research – such as this study:

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Creative people more open to stimuli from environment

Decreased Latent Inhibition Is Associated With Increased Creative Achievement in High-Functioning Individuals

The study in the September [2003] issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology says the brains of creative people appear to be more open to incoming stimuli from the surrounding environment.

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