Have You Ever Wondered Where You Get Your Talents From?

I grew up loving art and design, but my sisters were cheerleaders. My parents are not art enthusiasts either. I've always had an entrepreneurial mindset, but where do I get that from?

Have you ever wondered?

When I was eight years old, my grandmom taught me how to knit. Simultaneously, my grandpop taught me how to always win at playing Dominoes. From a very young age, I was developing a love for art and design, while learning how to be strategic from playing a simple game.

We may have natural tendencies, for example, being more creative or more driven, but our talents have to be shaped and developed. We have to learn how to realize our talent potential.

Home Is Where the Art is

I never took an art class. Everything I learned came from my grandmom, who is also creatively inclined. We have our raw talents, but sometimes it takes a role model to realize your true potential. My grandmom is someone who loves to teach! My family is Portuguese, so I'm constantly learning about our culture. Handmaking products is a common career in Portugal; there are a variety of small businesses and shops in Portugal selling handmade clothing, drinkware, and home goods.

Coming to America as a seamstress, my grandmom Maria had been working in the clothing industry for many years. She had developed her skills from her work experience, and was eager to teach her grandchildren. Fortunately, I was excited to learn everything about sewing, crocheting, and knitting. When I was eight years old, my grandmom taught me how to knit. I remember going to the store and picking out pink yarn with my first pair of knitting needles, which I still use today. When I first started, I made mistakes. At the time, I would always start over when I made mistakes because I wanted my work to be perfect. Little did I know how much a simple mistake could shape me as an artisan.

Made with love -- Alexa's first hand-knit scarf

You're Talented and Don't Know it -- Here's How to Realize Your Talent Potential

1. Recognize your talents. Look back and acknowledge your successes and failures. From this link, we can learn how processing and accepting our past can help push us in the right direction. What are your strengths? Knowing your strengths and inclinations can help you make good decisions in your future, career or otherwise. Don't be afraid to evaluate yourself; making a list of your strengths is a great way to realize what you're good at, so that you can make better choices.

2. Be unique. What makes your talent different? From a career perspective, employers are interested in people who may look at situations differently and have the ability to create new ideas for the company. If you're looking to become an entrepreneur, find ways to be unique; for alexa marie, everything is handmade. Find a niche market and cater to your customers' needs by solving a problem other businesses have not been able to solve before. Find ways to innovate the current strategy of the market.

3. Develop your talent. If you know that you're naturally inclined to be an artist, athlete, business guru, etc., nurture that talent! Never settle for anything less. Understand that developing a talent takes time and effort; don't expect results overnight. Once you find your niche, stick with it! As I discussed in a previous post, I know it can be tempting to ignore your talents after rejection, but you will grow stronger with time.

You have talent, but it takes time to realize that. Do not be afraid to push the limits when it comes to recognizing what your purpose is in life.

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