This is knowledge for all walks of life, not just research.
Everybody has a key strength. Your strengths, abilities, capabilities, skills, knowledge sets, etc will NEVER be the same as anyone else. So first rule:
1) Stop comparing yourself to everyone else.
Some people are good socialites, some are good artists, some write good code, some are inventive; some are all-rounders who can bridge gaps in knowledge. Even where you're located (local knowledge) is a skill that others might not possess.
Don't copy others, identify and improve your own. Which brings the second rule:
2) Your natural strengths are what you already enjoy doing in your spare time (hint: hobbies, those weird experiments in MS paint, that fanfiction you once wrote etc), what you're already curious about (curiousity is a VERY strong motivator - use it).
And if you're not good at something you enjoy, take heart:
3) Some skills, knowledge etc require time, effort and practice to master. You might not be good at it… yet!
Being unable doesn't mean it's not possible, it just means it hasn't had the proper investment of time and resources. By skills and talents, I mean learned abilities. If you're physically predisposed against muscle development, then that's not going to change, but mastering new art techniques will help you to improve, learning that software tool better will help.
4) Don't focus on areas you're demotivated in (or don't have interest in). Ask yourself instead 'how can I use my skills to help?'
For example, if you like doing art, don't try to do research if it makes you unhappy - focus on creating excellent visuals that demonstrate the research clearly. Likewise, if you like researching, dig it up for others. If you like organising, sort that research out.
5) Denial of opportunity is a temporary obstacle. There's always 'another way'. Even if that involves asking other people for help.
Sometimes you need to present what you've got and what you're having trouble with before someone else can step in to help:
6) Other people help complement and expand your skills. Different parts of the same machine; work together.
In my experience of improving systems, there's never been a 'useless' skill, just one misapplied (writers made to clean, inventors made to do tedious work, people who like simplicity made to do complex tasks, so on and so forth).
7) Never assume what you know or do is 'obvious' or 'trivial'. People have no idea what you're capable of or thinking, and that obscure piece of 'trivia' about Arizonian slang might be crucial to cracking a case.
8) Always openly share your knowledge, it will help other people develop their own skills.
9) Ideas/thoughts, if well conceived, can be more powerful than multiple inefficient actions together, but…
10) You must endeavour to take action.
If you're reading this, you already have a very powerful toolset (EG a computer) at your disposal. There is, in my opinion, no such thing as a 'useless person'. Even your computer or computers can help.
Feel free to add your own experiences and suggestions for getting the most out of individual and group strengths.