What Comes Naturally?

If you aren't sure what type of product or service you can provide, you'll need to identify your "blind spots. There are two types of blind spots. What skills do you lack? More importantly, what are the effortless tasks you may mistakenly assume everyone can do? Because these skills come naturally, we fail to see that they are both rare and valuable.

Example: Throughout my career, coworkers constantly asked me for writing and editing help. Because good writing instruction had made the skill natural to me, it took decades to recognize it as one of my primary strengths. When I look back, I realize that in every job I've ever had, I was the person assigned the task to write or edit, whether it was a grant proposal, website text, press releases, or journal articles.

I would bet that when you look back at your career, you can find several skills and talents that people have come to you for. If these are tasks you enjoy, you are well on your way to discovering your next act.