The Secret Ingredient: How to Find Your Gift and Use it to Succeed

Pablo Picasso. Warren Buffet. Marie Curie. Toni Morrison. These geniuses and many others have changed our lives by believing in their innate gifts and having the courage to share them with the world. But what if we all could unlock that one skill (or skills!) we have and put them to groundbreaking use? Maybe not to change history — although, why not? — but to upgrade your career, make more money, or simply feel great about ourselves?

Business coach Kelly Trach, author of P.S. You're a Genius, totally thinks we can. And, with a little self-reflection, we can each use our gifts — whether they lie in art, finance, science or another discipline entirely — to succeed in every other aspect of our lives. In this Q&A, we asked Trach about figuring out what you're good at and running with it.

Inspired Investor: What do you mean when you say that everyone is a genius?

Kelly Trach: When you take your top three to five gifts, and combine them together, you create expertise that only you can uniquely do. Some people call it your “it factor" or your "secret sauce," but I call it your "genius."

II: How would I go about figuring out what my most important gifts are?

KT: We figure that out through a series of 10 self-reflective questions, things like:

• What are you good at that nobody taught you how to do?
• How do your idols illuminate your gifts?
• What have you been doing unconsciously for a long time?
• What do people come to you for?

We're trying to figure out what comes naturally and what you can do well with almost no thought or preparation. Then, we put together the top gifts and find your genius when you perform a task that uses all of them. For example, my best gifts are speaking, teaching, creating and connecting. And when I do those things at once, I can create something that's in alignment with my genius, like doing a podcast interview or coaching a client.

II: Once you've assessed your genius, how do you turn that to your professional advantage?

KT: You can turn your genius into whatever you desire — whether that's a career, a side hustle or a business. One of my best tips is to really think about the top five people you admire most, and then write down five things you like about every single one of them; that reflects your gifts back to you.

But here's a follow-up thing that's important: Consider how all those people that you admire are making money. Because there's a good chance you could leverage your genius in a similar way.

II: Can you give me an example of someone who has used your method to their benefit?

KT: In the book, I talk about a money coach named Carrie. Carrie worked for a CPA firm and hedge fund in London, U.K. but her true genius was in personal finance. One of the questions that really helped her is: "What are you good at that nobody taught you how to do?"

In her spare time, she would read blogs on how to save for retirement, had a spreadsheet for everything, and ended up becoming a self-made millionaire. She decided that she wanted to help other women create a money plan and become financially independent. And I always say, if you've gotten results for yourself, you can teach somebody else.

II: One of your chapters is titled “I need to move to Bali," and it plays off this idea that we create excuses that prevent us from succeeding. Why do you think we do that?

KT: That chapter is about feeling like we need different circumstances in order to start. Like, "I would love to start a healthy recipes blog, but I need a brand-new Pinterest-worthy kitchen first." But your genius doesn't need any fancy bells and whistles. Picasso could draw masterpieces on the back of a napkin. You don't need two years abroad with a trust fund to do your best work. You could just do it now. Ignore the inner critic, and the fear of failure, success or judgment that tells you that you can't.

II: What are the practical steps to get started on this genius journey?

KT: Read the book. It will help you figure out your gifts and put them together to find your genius. Next, identify which doubts are holding you back and overcome them one by one. And, finally, throw away the rules and put your genius to work through small action steps.

II: Is there a specific exercise you recommend?

KT: I call it “the red thread." Look back at everything you've accomplished as a red thread sewn through your unique experiences — past jobs, internships and side gigs — and recognize how you've picked up a lot of gifts along the way. You've actually spent a lot of time in your genius! A lot of people feel like they don't have enough accolades or awards to be a genius, but knowing all that, you can feel confident acting in the present moment.