There are powers inside of you which, if you could discover and use, would make of you everything you ever dreamed or imagined you could become.” – Orison Swett Marden
Deep within each of us lies talents, abilities, and powers that go so far beyond anything we could begin to imagine. Too often in life we sell ourselves short thinking “I can’t” or “I am not capable of…” or “I am afraid to try in case I fail”. We hide our true potential behind a mask of fear and insecurity, never coming to appreciate all that we are meant to be. We become our own worst stumbling blocks when it comes to discovering everything that we are truly capable of, and coming to recognize the slumbering God-given talents we actually possess.
We can also fall into the trap of ranking different types of talents as less important than someone else’s. One talent isn’t better or worse than another. Every talent matters equally even if they aren’t all as visibly seen. Talents in art or music are much easier to see and receive public praise for, but just as important is the talent of being a good friend, or being a good organizer, or being a good listen, and so on. Every talent matters, even the least obvious ones, because it’s the combination of our individual talents that collectively contributes to improving the world around us.
“You may think you don’t have talents, but that is a false assumption, for we all have talents and gifts, every one of us. The bounds of creativity extend far beyond the limits of a canvas or a sheet of paper and do not require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter.
What you create doesn’t have to be perfect… Don’t let fear of failure discourage you. Don’t let the voice of critics paralyze you—whether that voice comes from the outside or the inside…
As you take the normal opportunities of your daily life and create something of beauty and helpfulness, you improve not only the world around you but also the world within you.” – Dieter F. Uchtdorf
One problem I’ve noticed is that the older I get the more I tend to rest on the talents I already know I have and the less I try to look for new ones. I definitely need to get more curious about what other talents might be within me just waiting to be discovered still. That means I’ve got to be willing to try all kinds of new things I’ve never had the courage to try before…that’s the only way they’ll have the chance to come out of me!
If you never try new things you will never find out if new talents are there. And guaranteed we’ve all got new talents within us that are just waiting to be discovered….LET’S FIND ‘EM!
~Amy Rees Anderson (author of the book “What Awesome Looks Like: How To Excel in Business & Life” )
