Kaori

I know exactly how that feels. I mean it's great to be a nice person but sometimes you want to be appreciated for something more than that. Im pretty much in your exact same boat, Id like to be known and appreciated for more than just being a nice person.

I feel the same way all the time unfortunately. I'm always surrounded by people I feel are better in some way, to the point that I don't feel like I have anything to my name. (Which isn't far from the truth in my case.) Positive if you asked anyone who knows me decently, they wouldn't be able to think of anything beyond calling me a nice person or something. (And yes, I do find it to be a shallow compliment after a while myself.)
I'm going to sound out of touch when I say this, but... I can't put it any other way. Some people are essentially born knowing what they have to their name, what they have over their peers. And others are left finding out their own positive aspects. I sincerely believe that no person is truly "average", but that some of us haven't found our niche yet. (I can't say I've definitely found mine either unfortunately.)
Until then however... it's not healthy to compare yourself to others. (Poster admits he is being an extreme hypocrite by saying this.) It's degrading to you as a person, especially if you do it too much. It's one thing to recognize someone's talents, but don't stack their abilities against your own.

I don't really see myself as having any talents. I'm no writer or artist, I can't take a straight photo, I'm an alright cook.

You have lots to give people, yeah you're nice, but you're also a great listener, a comforting person to talk to. Maybe you just haven't found a hobby to become good at. For all you know, you could be fantastic at poker. I guess, you should explore more stuff, perhaps out-there hobbies and see how you feel about them. Perhaps normal stuff just isn't for you.

Y'know, I've found that the ability to be kind even when it's hard or inconvenient is one of the best talents a person can have. Even I'm not always capable of it. There's no such animal as a talentless person; it just takes more time for others to figure out what they're good at. Once you figure that out, it's all uphill from there.

(And you are funny, little miss pun master)

I know exactly how you feel, but I believe it's best not to analyze yourself too much. Just do what you enjoy most, and don't worry about how you compare to others.

You just gotta dig a little deeper to find your true talent.

Yeah, I feel like that a lot. I try to judge myself on my personality and identity rather than my (lack of much) talent. I kind of epically fail at most things, although I'm less bad at writing on the rare occasion I get an idea. Try to dig a little deeper than whether you're good at anything, and see the interesting traits that set you out from others. Maybe it's being courageous, or even just being unique. Being nice isn't so bad- in fact, it's pretty much the best possible trait.