This is a great question! I'll bet there are many great answers to it.

I believe that, on a genetic level, we may have specific genes that will express themselves as we grow from babyhood onwards. I was attracted to music at a very early age, and wanted to play piano when I was three. I sang all the time. Later on, I did learn to play piano, violin, viola, guitar, etc, and sang in choir all my life.

I realized, though, that I was not only interested in music. I also felt a strong pull towards the spiritual world, and left my body frequently as a child and roamed the universe. I played church as a child! I used an old Lutheran Hymnal, and led many an imaginary church service with the Rite of Services that were printed in the front of the Hymnal. So that was another possible path. And so on.

God also intervenes, and if we feel HIs leading, we may find ourselves doing His will as our Life's Purpose. What is wonderful is that it is all up to us! Some people have many gifts, some a few, but all people have something to give! Genetics isn't the only director of our lives, but it helps. Our will is the Director, along with God's will and our circumstances.

So again, I say it is both things.

I hope this helps!

Blessings, Jai

I think we're all born with a multitude of talents that we don't even realize. I think our purpose is to realize, on an experiential level, our connection to Source. When we come to the full realization of this connection, then I think some of those hidden talents will emerge and our true vocation, to add to the Whole in some way, will become apparent.

I don't think we are born with a specific talent or vocation. We are born with the willingness to have certain experiences. As we live life, these can change to some extent and we feel attracted to things that will deliver the experiences we want.

So, we are attracted to playing music or a particular sport because of the way it makes us feel (what we experience when we do it) at various times in our lives.

I was taught how to play the violin when I was a kid but was not really interested in it or in any other instruments at that time.

But now, I feel a strong urge to play the piano and feel really good when I play it and want to get better and better at it.

My second son used to pretend he was a priest at a very young age---only 3 perhaps. He had somehow memorized most of the words he would need.

When he got older, into school age, he would be very upset if the family missed Mass for some reason, and would lecture us!

Within a year or two, he began to walk to the parish church 2 blocks away for morning Masses in the summer while the other kids were out riding their bikes and playing. He would not see his friends, siblings, nor play any games until he had been to Mass for the day.

I knew this was a very unusual child, since we were not very devout at the time and had not encouraged him. Still, we left him to do what he loved, and predictably at age 18, he entered a seminary to become a Catholic priest, and he is now in New Mexico ministering at a Navajo Indian parish, doing what he loves and what he always knew he would do. He turns 30 this year. I realize not everyone is so set in their vocation at an early age, but it does happen!

I think everyone is born with a specific vocation or talent. Sadly, many fail to realize they have them due to lack of opportunity.

I believe we choose our specific circumstances & our parents before we incarnate into a human body (in other words, we exist before birth & after death. in fact, our soul is eternal. we don't really die)

We choose the circumstance based on what area of development we would like to focus on during a particular lifetime. This one that we are all on right now, has something to do with either a transition of some sort or a dimensional shift of some sort.

If this is so where would it be felt? I don't know. My instincts tell me that we are all working to achieve a transformation within our individual and collective consciousness. the results would be the basis for the rest of humanity to learn from.

So, one of the "Vocations" that we as a group, (the group that is on this discussion board), has chosen is to be the leading edge of inner transformation for the rest to follow. Understanding that what ever we do as individuals is available to everyone internally because we dip into a common ocean of consciousness.

' i think we were born with talent because everytime something we get attracted to it then we will like it '

we each have own individual character and it is brought with us into our birth here,
most likely within that character there is a highly developed aspect of humanity,
to nurish it may be wiser than to let it squander,
the only question is, 'how do you find it'.