Psychology and Success: The Magic of Your Talent Advantage

As one of the originators of a psychological assessment program (Your Talent Advantage), I’m often asked this question: How can an assessment that fits people into a finite number of “types” claim to reveal what’s truly unique about us? It is a valid question, and one that I have pondered at great length, given that I know the system I’ve helped to develop does indeed help people discover who they are uniquely. After much contemplation I have arrived at the answer – magic! What do I mean by magic? Well, first of all, in regards to the Perceptual Style Theory, we recognize that your Perceptual Style (i.e., type) does not describe all aspects of what makes you unique. But what it does accomplish is that it shows you the areas where you’re most likely to succeed in developing what truly makes you unique. Describing the assessment process to a friend recently, I used the analogy of finding your seat at a baseball game. You decide to go to the game. Once you arrive, the nice lady at the information booth directs you to your section, and an usher then shows you to your row—but from there, you have to find your own individual seat and, most importantly, make it comfortable to sit in. Deciding to discover Your Talent Advantage is like going to the ballpark. The first part of the assessment is similar to the lady in the information booth, who reveals your “type,” while the second part (which focuses on which talents and abilities you’ve developed in your life, and which ones you haven’t) is like the usher who takes you to your specific seat within that specific section. But finding your seat and making it comfortable for you? That’s something only you can do, because what will make that seat comfortable for you isn’t what will make that same seat comfortable for someone else. Of course, here’s where the ballpark analogy breaks down, because Your Talent Advantage is set up to support you in this process by giving you access to a master coach, specifically trained to help you understand your results within the context of your current situation and life experiences. This process helps you to not only discover the skills and abilities that are yours, but also teaches you how to make them uniquely yours by seeing how and where they fit into the context of your life. Knowing your Perceptual Style and how you naturally express that in the world is a powerful experience. Applying that knowledge to your work, your personal life, and your social life can be transformative, and just that alone is a pretty magical experience – but the real magic comes when you allow what you’ve learned with Your Talent Advantage to grow, develop, and mature. Why? Because, if you are like most people, you have spent much of your life attempting to improve your performance in areas where you do not excel. From parental advice to academic assessments and employee performance reviews, much of the feedback we receive in life concerns what we don’t do well and how we can ‘improve’ these areas of insufficiency and weakness. The result is a lifelong sense of inadequacy that creates chronic emotional, physical, and psychological exhaustion and stress. When you let go of trying to develop your acquired skills, all of the energy you put into beating your head against that wall can be used to grow and develop your natural skills! When you use your natural skills consciously and intentionally, something amazing happens. Your skills and talents don’t just develop, they blossom and transform in ways you could never have predicted. By leading you into actions, environments, and situations that draw upon and support them, developing your gifts and skills opens you to new possibilities that you could not have previously imagined. New layers, new depths, and new meanings unfold that will draw you into unexpected manifestations and applications. You don’t just discover your ‘type’ – you discover your unique skills and talents, and how to make the most of them in your life. And yes – it really is magic!