On the Subject of Talent

Are you a talented person? Whether you see yourself that way or not, you need to know that you have at least one natural talent.

It is easy for us to look at a famous musician or artist or dancer and say, “Wow, that person is really talented.” But if someone were to ask you whether you, yourself, are talented, you’d be inclined to say, “Well, no, not really.”

You see, most of us who don’t have brilliant careers in the arts have been trained to see ourselves as lacking in talent. Oh, we may be hard workers, and we may be willing to learn what we have to learn in order to do well in our jobs, but we don’t see ourselves as particularly talented.

The fact is, though, we are wrong. All of us have some natural talent. Now, it may not be musical or artistic talent, but maybe we have an affinity for remembering numbers, or maybe we can visualize solid shapes and are good at thinking in three dimensions. Maybe we are very good at handling small tools with precision, or maybe we are a whiz with computers and the latest
electronic gadgets on the market. Perhaps we have no trouble breaking down an idea into its component parts.

You see, there are many kinds of talent, just as there are many kinds of people, and all are valuable. So, don’t sell yourself short if you can’t compose a symphony or paint like the Old Masters. And don’t sell your kids short, either. Instead, encourage them to find their natural gifts and not worry about the things they’re not so good at. You’ll be helping them to build high self-esteem and create highly individual, satisfying lives.

What are your natural talents? Take some time, and give yourself a good look. Our talents may be a challenge to recognize at first, because of how we’ve been conditioned to define “talent,” but they are there! It is a guarantee.