What Is Unique Ability®?

The Strategic Coach Team

Dan Sullivan first noticed how beautifully unique we are when hired to interview people with disabilities for a Canadian Parliamentary report. It became clear to him very quickly that the most successful people are those who have learned how to focus on and leverage their unique strengths. In other words, they build their lives around their abilities, not their disabilities. He began talking about his realizations as “Unique Ability.”

What he observed is that each and every individual is born with unique characteristics. But what was most interesting to him was how few were able to powerfully communicate exactly what those were.

How is Unique Ability connected to your success?

Unique Ability, by definition, is the essence of what you love to do and do best. It’s your own set of natural talents and the passion that fuels you to contribute in the ways that most motivate you. When articulated, it describes the “you” that makes you who you are.

By strengthening the areas where we have the possibility of achieving extraordinary results, it allows us the greatest opportunity for success. It also gives us the freedom to determine our most satisfying path in life.

Uncovering your Unique Ability.

Most people are completely unaware that they have a Unique Ability. When we’re so close to our uniqueness, it makes it difficult to appreciate those things that come so naturally to us. We tend to believe that everyone can do the same things we can.

To start determining what activities are or are not your Unique Ability, use Unique Ability® 2.0: Discovery as your guidebook through the process. You can begin by brainstorming what activities and skills in your day-to-day life can be described by these four qualities:

  1. Superior skill. You produce outstanding results with this talent. It’s so natural to you, you can’t help but do this extraordinarily well. Others notice this skill, rely on it, and value it.
  2. Passion. You love to do this, and probably did it in some form long before you got paid for it. In fact, many people continue to give their Unique Ability away for free because they don’t recognize how special and valuable it is.
  3. Energy. Using your Unique Ability gives you a boost of energy. The people around you get energy from you too, because it’s fun and exciting to be around someone who’s both passionate about and talented at what they’re doing. Likewise, when you surround yourself with other Unique Abilities, your days are filled with positivity, dynamism, and creativity.
  4. Never-ending improvement. You’re already exceptional at this, yet you could do it for the rest of your life and always find new ways to get better and better.

Start listening to your strengths.

Focusing on your Unique Ability—that unique superior skill combined with passion that every individual possesses—is more important now than ever with the rapid technological changes impacting our world. From the perspective of Unique Ability, the future is full of opportunity and there’s a sense of simplicity because you’re clear about the right path.

You don’t need to spend a lot of energy guessing about who or what you should be, or wondering if a particular opportunity or choice is right for you. When it’s your path, you create it as you go, with Unique Ability as your guide. Its constant evolution becomes your life’s work and enjoyment. It’s the truest freedom possible!

Begin your journey to finding purpose in life and getting closer to the heart of what drives you. Get started today by downloading the Beginner’s Guide to Unique Ability.

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