Dear Destiny Friends,
Hard work beats talent, it has been said in many quarters, but the opinion, for all intent and purpose, is still subject to individual confirmation.
On a personal note, hard work can only beat talent when talent is not put to use, especially if that talent is not developed to its full potential, and equipped with the right techniques that can take an individual from amateur to professional.
What really is talent? Talent is an uncommon natural skill or ability to be good at something. It’s instructive to note that talent is not taught; it’s a natural ability to see or do something in a certain way.
Everyone is endowed with talents, but the sad reality is that not everyone takes time to hone and develop them. Do you know your talent is your gift to the world? You may be wondering how that works? Did you know that at creation, God gave everyone a gift, and that gift is talent? It’s sad however, to see people who haven’t developed the art of using their gifts to serve the world.
Sometimes, we complain of not having a job; sometimes we look elsewhere for a job not knowing we are the job we are seeking. Did you know your gift is your job? When you know how to cultivate your talent by nourishing and garnishing it, there’s a population that will need your service.
But one of the greatest challenges most people have is the inability to market their talents to the right audience.
When you are super talented, Presidents, kings, Queens, captains of industries, and leaders will seek your service. This is because everybody likes the best. Corporate companies and organizations love working with talented people. Talented people spend more time acquiring new skills, improving their relationships via strategic networking, gaining new knowledge and perspective to life. They also know how to balance work and life because they realize what works for them and what doesn’t.
It’s instructive to note that despite being blessed or gifted in a particular way, if one fails to nurture and develop the talent, it will gradually fade out into oblivion. This is because whatever is not being managed is lost. To understand how nurturing works, imagine if great soccer and athletic players like Lionel Messi, Christian Ronaldo, Austin Okocha and Usan Bolt don’t train; their skills will naturally loosen up. That’s simply how talent works, whatever you don’t manage well is forever lost.
Maximizing your strength comes from knowing your talent. The mistake most people make in life is trying to do many things at the same time as opposed to concentrating and mastering one thing.
Being jack of all trades and master of none is not the best way to succeed in life. It’s always good for the world to know and celebrate you for a particular thing. When they do, you can now diversify your interest and resources among your networks. A great way of mastering your strength is by focusing on your talent. You can do this by maximizing your strength while working on your weakness.
It is instructive to note that talent is priceless. You can’t beat the place of talent in the life of a progressive mind. You can make a name for yourself with your talent. The world is in dire need of talented people. When you are talented, you will be unique. You will unapologetically be yourself. A typical case of talented people are the Late Michael Jackson, Dolly Parton, Austin Okocha, Henry Ukazu, amongst others.
To determine your talent, look at what you enjoy doing with relative ease, look at what you are successful at; evaluate what you are good at. Remember, what you are good at is quite different from what you enjoy doing. You might enjoy singing, but singing is not your forte. You might be skillful in doing a particular work, but it doesn’t mean you are talented in it. When talent is at play, you will do it with relative ease, whether paid or unpaid.
In conclusion, it should be noted that your honour is in the discovery of your place of talented assignment. Your relevance is in your call to service, and your recognition, income and resources will come from working on your area of assignment.
Today, I charge you to take a deep reflection about yourself, and discover and fulfill your assignment. Don’t spend your life doing so many things, endeavor to focus on what aligns more with your interest by applying the pareto principle.
Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the founder of Gloemi. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate, creative writer and author of Design Your Destiny Design Your and Unleash Your Destiny . He can be reached via info@gloemi.com