Fantasies about talent and other Superpowers
Updated: Jul 28
Do you sometimes think that somewhere inside you there's an undiscovered talent—something special that would finally make you feel fulfilled and help you achieve what you deserve? This belief is everywhere today—in coaching, on social media, across the whole world of personal development. But what if it's just a fantasy?
When others make it—and you don't
You see someone who has built something meaningful—a significant project, their own business, a job that makes sense, brings satisfaction, and a position that counts. And you wonder why it worked out for them, but not for you. Not yet.
And somewhere that thought appears—or someone plants it: they made it because they discovered their talent. If you haven't made it yet, you simply haven't found yours. When you do, everything will change.
That's an illusion. On two levels at once.
The hidden Superpowers
When I started working as a coach, I couldn't quite understand what clients meant when they said they wanted to discover their talent. Most of them were adults—intelligent, sensitive, well-educated, with a great deal of life and professional experience. And yet they often had the feeling of having achieved "too little"—relative to what they were capable of.
For me, talent has always meant a natural aptitude for doing certain things with greater ease and pleasure than others. Not necessarily "better"—because many things can be learned and trained—but simply more naturally and with more enjoyment.
That's why I found it hard to understand how someone, after 30, 40, or 50 years, still doesn't know where their strengths lie. After all those years in school, university, work, and relationships, we usually know what comes easily and what doesn't—whether we prefer drawing or working with numbers; whether we'd rather analyse or act.
My clients usually knew all of this. But they still believed that somewhere inside them, Superpowers were waiting to be found—and that discovering them would make life easier and success almost guaranteed.
Who benefits from this story?
I believe in empowerment — it's one of the most important tasks in coaching and one of the most beautiful things we can give each other. I believe that everyone has strengths and aptitudes — we can even call them talents. But I don't believe in the narrative that everyone has Superpowers hidden inside them and is destined to be extraordinary.
Promising in coaching that everyone will discover their unique talent and quickly achieve success as a result — that's not empowerment. That's marketing.
And one more thing: talent is not a question of all or nothing. It's not a switch you either have, or you don't — it's more of a spectrum. Within that spectrum, you can develop, grow, and get better. And even if someone truly has exceptional strengths, that alone guarantees nothing. The success you see in others is usually the result of many years of daily, often invisible work and decisions. Not a magical discovery.
The fear of Average
In their book The Confidence Code, Katty Kay and Claire Shipman speak with psychologist Kristin Neff about confidence—which doesn't come from exceptional achievement, but precisely from accepting one's own imperfection and ordinariness.
If I were to tell you that your work as a journalist is average, you'd be devastated, right?—Neff says to one of the authors—Being called average is considered an insult. We all have to be above average.
But that's exactly what's impossible. Exceptionality is rare—that's the whole point. Not everyone can be exceptional. And not everyone has to be. Exceptionality is not what gives our work—or ourselves—value.
Being good is enough. Or even very good. "Good" doesn't mean mediocre. "Good" means: solid knowledge, strong professional skills, helpful personal qualities, and a willingness to keep learning. Nothing spectacular—but something very valuable.
Brilliant or not at all
In coaching, I often work with people who refuse to be "just good". I try to show them that they can be—and that it's enough. I don't want to take away their ambition. I want them to stop believing that they're only worth something if they're extraordinary. Because unfortunately, the two often go hand in hand: the desire to be exceptional — and the feeling that without it, you're worth nothing.
Do you know this feeling: either I do something perfectly—or not at all? This kind of thinking blocks action. It stops us from doing things we're good at, things we enjoy, and often even love. Sometimes it stops us from doing anything at all.
Just a decision
If you feel that you can and want more, don't look for magical talents. Instead, look at what you enjoy doing, what you do well, and what you find meaningful. Develop that further. Get better at it—not better than everyone else, but more mature, more aware, and more experienced.
If you want and can, make it a source of income. The world needs many good professionals—far more than a handful of extraordinary individuals.
The ancient Greeks used to say: decide who you want to be, and work at it every day.
If you want to make that decision but don't know where to start, write to me. We'll look for the answers together.
