Today's quotation:

I believe talent is like electricity.  We don't understand electricity. We use it.  You can plug into it and light up a lamp, keep a heart pump going, light a cathedral, or you can electrocute a person with it. Electricity will do all that.  It makes no judgment.  I think talent is like that.  I believe every person is born with talent.

Maya Angelou

Today's Meditation:

I love seeing how other people use their talents.  I enjoy listening to musicians and seeing artwork and watching athletes and entertainers.  They've taken their talents and they've made a lot out of them, turning them into something more than they are when their spirits and their talents are working together.

Not all talents are meant to be shared with the entire world, though.  We all weren't born to be extremely popular or extremely well known in the world.  But that doesn't mean that we don't have talent.  I've known many people who can play the piano very well, but who never will perform in concerts.  And they're fine with that-- using their talent brings them joy, and the adulation of the audience isn't necessary for them to use and enjoy their talents.

What talents do you have?  You know in your heart what they are, and the important thing is to accept them and make the most of them, even if they don't bring you fame and fortune.  Not using your talents will leave an emptiness inside of you, like a lamp that's not plugged into the wall-- it's full of potential to fill the room with light, but if it's not plugged in, it shows nothing.  And the electricity that's there in the wires just sits there, unable to reach its potential of lighting the light.

Your talents are in you, and they're valuable.  They can bring you fulfillment and enjoyment, and as you become more fulfilled and enjoy life more, you can become a model to others who want to do the same.  So identify your talents and use them as you wish to use them, without a care of how others react.  As long as you don't disappoint yourself by imposing your expectations on how others will react (and thus cause yourself disappointment), you and your talents will be a great team.

Questions to consider:

Make a list of five true talents that you have.  How often do you use them?

Why do you not use your talents to their full potential?

How might we create more time in our lives to devote to our talents?

For further thought:

I believe a 'talented' person is one who has learned how to effectively cultivate and polish any of the many desirable capabilities with which most of us are born but few of us nurture.

Marilyn Vos Savant

more thoughts and ideas on talent

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