Rider Psychology

Identifying Your Gifts to Achieve Excellence

This exclusive excerpt from Rob Schinke's new book 'Gifted' will help you cultivate your inner gifts to achieve harmony and success in your life ‒ both in and out of the saddle.

A closeup of a horse jumping; the book 'Gifted'

By: Robert Schinke | January 8, 2025

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you're listening to an article from horse sport.com. identifying your gifts to achieve excellence by: robert schinke. robert j. schinke, edd has a long history with equestrian competition as a member of the canadian pan american games eventing team in 1987 and 1991. schinke later pursued academics and sport psychology, drawing on his experiences as a rider to understand the athlete’s psyche. now, as a renowned sport psychology consultant and scientist, he has helped hundreds of olympic and professional athletes realize their unique gifts. a professor of kinesiology and health sciences at laurentian university in sudbury, ontario, and president of the international society of sport psychology, his scientific publications have spanned more than 200 works on the topics of mental health, identity, inclusiveness, life transitions, and context-driven practice. in his newest book, gifted: 8 steps to succeeding in sport, work, and life, he aims to inspire athletes in any sport to believe in their natural gifts and achieve excellence across all aspects of their life ‒ on and off the field of play. ***. tap into your extraordinary gifts as often as you can every day. your gifts extend beyond a single environment, such as your work or personal life. every gift you hold, whether ingenuity, artistry, athleticism, critical thinking, or another talent, is a transferable skill you can bring to every minute of every day. advertisement scroll to continue with content in the world of science, researchers often ask whether skills or findings are transferable across environments, from one to another. with athletes, part of the responsibility of a motivational consultant is to encourage a transferability of skills so each performer is prepared to move from the junior ranks to the senior ranks, from the senior ranks to the world stage, and from the world stage to the next part of their lives—whether as students, business professionals, physicians, musicians, or wherever they journey in their road map to a fulfilling life. when i retired from being an athlete, my gifts were two. first, i always saw problems and their solutions in a different way than many of my contemporaries. where people attempted to solve problems through conventional scientific theories and approaches that many others before them drew upon, i often considered unconventional approaches, such as those i would generate with my participants and clients beyond the university’s walls and conventions. second, i was also resilient and able to shake off the discouraging words of naysayers. i had spent a childhood, youth, and young adulthood in school settings, playing sports and learning to be a social scientist, in other words, following my own path. i understood, based on the journey, the consequences of morphing into someone else’s version of person, athlete, and professional. those possibilities were not for me. your gifts are equally unique and transferable, and you are entitled to reach for them without explanation or apology. your future is yours to forge, and its bounty is yours to harvest. for the first step in this exercise, reflect upon your childhood and youth. first, find a quiet place where you will be uninterrupted. stretch out and move until you are in a comfortable position, either reclining or lying down. then begin rhythmic breathing, much as athletes would at the beginning of a mental warm-up before beginning their physical warm-up and much as you would before drifting off to sleep. once you have established a good, deep, rhythmic breathing pattern, where your lungs are drawing full breaths of air, journey back using your memory bank to recall memories of your childhood and youth when you first noticed your special personal gift. my best friend (my wife) loved to draw. to this day she can draw with a flowing, light hand. she conjures up a perfect medley of colors in her drawings until they meld into beautiful artistry. my sibling was a creative writer. she could write poetry in primary school that i envy to this day. my grandmother was a chef the likes of which i can only recall from my early childhood. she could create organic custards, ice creams, cured meats, and all sorts of delights. i try to put her gifts into words, but words cannot capture the level of excellence my tastebuds recollect. now back to you. think about what your gift is and how you first discovered it. think also about how you played with your gift and about how you and those nearby reveled in your excellence. when you see and feel the sensations associated with tapping into your gift, let your mind wander next to its status in terms of current opportunities where it can be applied, maybe even today. if you were an athlete and being an athlete brought you considerable enjoyment, health, and vibrancy, you can opt to revisit sports opportunities and find a parallel physical activity that matches your current time commitments, lifestyle, and demands. if your skill was public speaking, begin to search for opportunities where you can connect and inspire a group of people, such as in your workplace or in a volunteer organization. once you have a vision of how you wish to apply your gift in present life, write down what your skill is and your current vision of its potential application. place the note on your refrigerator, with a second note placed on your work desk. the note should state, “i am …” the intention of the posting process is to remind you of your gift many times each day, while walking by and reaching for food or drink or when sitting down and working. after a few weeks of reflection, at most, sit down once more and develop a reasonable action plan and begin to put your gift into action. for a returning athletic pursuit, map out what equipment you need. purchase equipment that excites you. if you are a runner, buy a new pair of flashy running shoes, comfortable running pants and shirt, and a running jacket. next, set an activity calendar where you carve out time to reacquaint yourself with your gift, slowly but surely. a runner might then place running shoes at the door, just as a yoga enthusiast will either schedule virtual sessions into the day and have their yoga mat at the ready or engage a friend and go together to a yoga studio. a return to your gifts and how these are to be evoked needs to be, at first, a deliberate effort, until the gift is craved and automatically integrated into your daily life. habits take time to form, so initially, every new behavior needs to be intentionally structured into your day. then, be patient as you are challenged by the addition to your daily schedule. remember, the application of your gifts must first smolder before they catch fire. once a new application of your giftedness becomes routine, you will find it to be part of the evolving, next level, you. you might, at first, tap into your chosen gift—for example, cooking. you can plan out a few special meals each week and commit to experimenting and learning one new cooking technique each month. the uptake of your gift serves two purposes. immediately, it brings you back in touch with a forgotten passion. your passion will then serve to help you recognize other potential gifts that are just waiting to be tapped, meaning actions that come naturally to you and often have been known to you as early as childhood. *** watch dr. robert schinke (@robertjschinke) interviewed on author talk, discussing the value in realizing our gifts, and his new book gifted: 8 steps to succeeding in sport, work, and life, here. *** to order your copy of gifted: 8 steps to succeeding in sport, work, and life, visit here. &&>

Robert J. Schinke, EdD has a long history with equestrian competition as a member of the Canadian Pan American Games eventing team in 1987 and 1991. Schinke later pursued academics and sport psychology, drawing on his experiences as a rider to understand the athlete’s psyche. Now, as a renowned sport psychology consultant and scientist, he has helped hundreds of Olympic and professional athletes realize their unique gifts. A professor of kinesiology and health sciences at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, and president of the International Society of Sport Psychology, his scientific publications have spanned more than 200 works on the topics of mental health, identity, inclusiveness, life transitions, and context-driven practice. In his newest book, Gifted: 8 Steps to Succeeding in Sport, Work, and Life, he aims to inspire athletes in any sport to believe in their natural gifts and achieve excellence across all aspects of their life ‒ on and off the field of play.

A man wearing a Canada shirt beside a red moose statue.

Dr. Robert Schinke.

***

Tap into your extraordinary gifts as often as you can every day. Your gifts extend beyond a single environment, such as your work or personal life. Every gift you hold, whether ingenuity, artistry, athleticism, critical thinking, or another talent, is a transferable skill you can bring to every minute of every day.

Scroll to continue with content

In the world of science, researchers often ask whether skills or findings are transferable across environments, from one to another. With athletes, part of the responsibility of a motivational consultant is to encourage a transferability of skills so each performer is prepared to move from the junior ranks to the senior ranks, from the senior ranks to the world stage, and from the world stage to the next part of their lives—whether as students, business professionals, physicians, musicians, or wherever they journey in their road map to a fulfilling life.

When I retired from being an athlete, my gifts were two. First, I always saw problems and their solutions in a different way than many of my contemporaries. Where people attempted to solve problems through conventional scientific theories and approaches that many others before them drew upon, I often considered unconventional approaches, such as those I would generate with my participants and clients beyond the university’s walls and conventions. Second, I was also resilient and able to shake off the discouraging words of naysayers. I had spent a childhood, youth, and young adulthood in school settings, playing sports and learning to be a social scientist, in other words, following my own path. I understood, based on the journey, the consequences of morphing into someone else’s version of person, athlete, and professional. Those possibilities were not for me.

Your gifts are equally unique and transferable, and you are entitled to reach for them without explanation or apology. Your future is yours to forge, and its bounty is yours to harvest.

For the first step in this exercise, reflect upon your childhood and youth. First, find a quiet place where you will be uninterrupted. Stretch out and move until you are in a comfortable position, either reclining or lying down. Then begin rhythmic breathing, much as athletes would at the beginning of a mental warm-up before beginning their physical warm-up and much as you would before drifting off to sleep.

Once you have established a good, deep, rhythmic breathing pattern, where your lungs are drawing full breaths of air, journey back using your memory bank to recall memories of your childhood and youth when you first noticed your special personal gift. My best friend (my wife) loved to draw. To this day she can draw with a flowing, light hand. She conjures up a perfect medley of colors in her drawings until they meld into beautiful artistry. My sibling was a creative writer. She could write poetry in primary school that I envy to this day. My grandmother was a chef the likes of which I can only recall from my early childhood. She could create organic custards, ice creams, cured meats, and all sorts of delights. I try to put her gifts into words, but words cannot capture the level of excellence my tastebuds recollect.

Now back to you. Think about what your gift is and how you first discovered it. Think also about how you played with your gift and about how you and those nearby reveled in your excellence. When you see and feel the sensations associated with tapping into your gift, let your mind wander next to its status in terms of current opportunities where it can be applied, maybe even today. If you were an athlete and being an athlete brought you considerable enjoyment, health, and vibrancy, you can opt to revisit sports opportunities and find a parallel physical activity that matches your current time commitments, lifestyle, and demands. If your skill was public speaking, begin to search for opportunities where you can connect and inspire a group of people, such as in your workplace or in a volunteer organization.

Once you have a vision of how you wish to apply your gift in present life, write down what your skill is and your current vision of its potential application. Place the note on your refrigerator, with a second note placed on your work desk. The note should state, “I am …” The intention of the posting process is to remind you of your gift many times each day, while walking by and reaching for food or drink or when sitting down and working.

After a few weeks of reflection, at most, sit down once more and develop a reasonable action plan and begin to put your gift into action. For a returning athletic pursuit, map out what equipment you need. Purchase equipment that excites you. If you are a runner, buy a new pair of flashy running shoes, comfortable running pants and shirt, and a running jacket. Next, set an activity calendar where you carve out time to reacquaint yourself with your gift, slowly but surely. A runner might then place running shoes at the door, just as a yoga enthusiast will either schedule virtual sessions into the day and have their yoga mat at the ready or engage a friend and go together to a yoga studio.

A return to your gifts and how these are to be evoked needs to be, at first, a deliberate effort, until the gift is craved and automatically integrated into your daily life. Habits take time to form, so initially, every new behavior needs to be intentionally structured into your day. Then, be patient as you are challenged by the addition to your daily schedule. Remember, the application of your gifts must first smolder before they catch fire.

Once a new application of your giftedness becomes routine, you will find it to be part of the evolving, next level, you. You might, at first, tap into your chosen gift—for example, cooking. You can plan out a few special meals each week and commit to experimenting and learning one new cooking technique each month. The uptake of your gift serves two purposes. Immediately, it brings you back in touch with a forgotten passion. Your passion will then serve to help you recognize other potential gifts that are just waiting to be tapped, meaning actions that come naturally to you and often have been known to you as early as childhood.

***
Watch Dr. Robert Schinke (@robertjschinke) interviewed on Author Talk, discussing the value in realizing our gifts, and his new book Gifted: 8 Steps to Succeeding in Sport, Work, and Life, here.

***
To order your copy of Gifted: 8 Steps to Succeeding in Sport, Work, and Life, visit here.