ESL Blogs

Topic: Talent

Specific purpose: to encourage people to focus on their own talents

Central idea: understanding the meaning of talent and revising our views on word talent.

INTRO:

 My mother said to me, 'If you are a soldier, you will become a general. If you are a monk, you will become the Pope.' Instead, I was a painter, and became Picasso.– Pablo Picasso

Our society is full of people, who lose their identity and ruin their talents, by trying to be what they are not, in their pursuit of happiness and success.

Why so? there are many reasons, but I want to focus on three things – a distorted concept of talent, fears and mentality. Now lets talk about each point more detailed.

1st point: A DISTORTED CONCEPT:

One of the big problems of the modern society, is that people always measure everything with money or social status. The same goes with talent as well – how many people use their talents and skills only get rich, or get social status. In cost of inner peace and happiness. And how many people ruined or left their talents trying to get wealthy and famous, thinking this is a way to happiness.

“If you tell grown-ups, 'I saw a beautiful red brick house, with geraniums at the windows and doves on the roof...,' they won't be able to imagine such a house. You have to tell them, 'I saw a house worth a hundred thousand francs. ' Then they exclaim, 'What a pretty house! – from the book “Little Prince” by A. de Saint-Exupery

2nd point: FEARS

Most people never realize their dreams, their potential and their talents. Cuz most people are so busy being afraid, that they never take their shot in life. People choose their path of fear to make a difference, to bring a difference as practicality. People go to school like they supposed to, they get a job like they are supposed to, they get married and have kids like they supposed to.  But who is setting all this rules to their lives? Who  are these people telling others what they can or can not do? And the most important Why are we listening to them?

We also can revise popular quote about fear into: “Fear ruined more talents than failure did.”

3rd point: MENTALITY

As a result of first two points, combined together they feed each other and affect our society in worst way. You can also add here some prejudices and we will get exact situation we are talking about.  For example: one school student, boy or girl, wants to become a teacher, and he or she really loves this idea and has talent for this. But parents are strictly against it, and their reasons are:

- you are capable of something better (prejudice #1),

- we are famous and respected family (prejudice #2),

- you will not be able to earn enough to support yourself and your family (fear of not getting wealth),

- couldn’t you choose something better? what other will think of us? (fear of objection and condemnation).

This is just simple example, just to give an idea, how many Picassos we have lost and are loosing everyday. But that’s not the only point I wanted to share with you.

CONCLUSION:

In a book “First Break All The Rules – What The World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently” by by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, it says “Talents are unique and enduring. They are part of one’s mental filter on the world. Knowledge can be acquired, skills can be practiced, but talents are part of who you are and are extraordinarily difficult to teach.” and “Great managers are good at figuring out what talents are needed for a particular role, selecting the right person, and making their expectations of that person very clear. They focus on the employee’s strengths, give frequent feedback and constantly challenge the employee to grow stronger and more expert in his or her role.”

This is a great example for us, to break the rules and distortion of how we see talent, to stop thinking that everyone can do everything, and focus on our talents and help finding our role in life. These definitions and concepts we can apply in our daily life, not only in business or to become rich or famous.

So, as a conclusion I  want to say, that talent is dedicated to find our purpose in life, our  role in life.

Being a good friend is a talent,

Being able to listen to others is a talent,

Being a kind to others is a talent,

Trying to bring positive impact on a society is a unique and rare talent,

Helping others in need is also great talent,

Being a loyal at relationship is a talent, creating a family is a talent, raising kids is a talent, helping your family is a talent, supporting your parents is a talent, 

Not doing anything wrong and bad to others is also a talent, especially in modern world, full of tragedies and drama, 

Keeping optimistic and positive is another example of great talent, which require courage and strength,

Being a human in this planet, living in a peace and harmony with nature is also can be concidered a talent, 

Inspire others to do something good is probably one of the needed talents in modern society, cuz “the planet doesn’t need more successful people. The planet desperately needs more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers, and lovers of all kind” – Dalai Lama.

About people, who say they didn’t love anyone, we say that they simply haven’t met love of their life yet. Same here, who might say they don’t have any talent, they simply haven’t met their purpose or mission in life yet.

And the biggest talent person can ever have – is being able to see and being to reveal talents in others and help them to find their purpose in life. It could really make a world little better. In a world, where you can be anything – be kind.

Everyone is unique with their own talents. But not everyone shares them with the world.

“If we could read the mind, then we would know that there are no ordinary people” – from movie Wonder.