Talented : Discovering and Using Your God-given Talents to Find More Joy in Life

by Dustin Peterson

Most people struggle to articulate their talents while many others don't believe they have any. Yet, God has blessed each of his children with innate talents and abilities. Some talents, like playing the piano or woodworking, are more easily identifiable. Others aren't quite as obvious, like empathy, peacemaking, or critical thought, and yet they hold the power to increase our energy and satisfaction in every facet of life. The purpose of this book is to equip individuals to understand talents, identify their own, and develop strategies to use them to bless their lives and serve others. Grounded in LDS doctrine and scripture, the reader will discover more about who they are, what they have to offer, and how to do more of what they love to do on a daily basis. Talents can be used in service to others, as a foundation for professional life, and to bless our families. In fact, the more we integrate them into every aspect of our lives the stronger they become and the more opportunity we have to use them.

95 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 8, 2021

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This is one of those life-changer books. Completely changed how I think about talents, what they are and how to identify and use them.

There are a lot of good things in this book, but I think the biggest eye opener for me was the idea that a talent is best defined as a raw ability that can apply to many different areas of our lives. Rather than "I'm talented at basketball" (totally fake example. I'm not), it would be something like "I'm talented in working on a team, am energized by competition, and love to analyze a situation and quickly pick an effective action to take". Armed with that self knowledge, someone who loves basketball can identify WHAT they love about it, where their actual talents are, and apply that to any area of their lives.

Meaning, they don't have to feel depressed that they're not a pro NBA player. They could be a dentist, a dad, or fill a calling at church, and still find ways to use those skills, talents, and abilities to find joy and fulfillment, and bless others, wherever they are. So powerful.

[Erin Wojcicki · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was rather disappointed in this book. Finding and developing my talents has been a love long quest for me. I felt like the author frequently contradicted himself and used "gifts" and "talents" interchangeably, which made some things confusing. Further, I do not necessarily agree with what he said talents are... especially in the portion about his dentist friend.
This book left me more confused than I was to start...

[Katra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gave me quite a bit to ponder

[Gwen Ruebush · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really helped me see my abilities in a new way. I went away feeling like I am very talented and that I need to use those talents. I'm grateful for the outlook.