What's Your Talent?

Here are some examples from my personal experience.

I used to say I didn’t have any talents. I used to draw when I was a kid, but I quit when I got out of school and took on the role of wife and mother. With some encouragement I took up oil painting and dabbled a bit with that. When my husband and I divorced, the only thing he asked for was a small picture of a deer I had painted. I thought it was awful, but he thought it was a magnificent painting worthy of a place on his wall.

I quit painting when I was pregnant with my 5th child and just never did pick it back up again. It had been a way to express myself other than words which are so inadequate.

I’ve dabbled with a lot of things since then, sewing, which I learned to do when I was nine; crocheting, which I learned when I was four; various types of embroidery, which I began learning as soon as I was old enough my Mother would trust me with a needle.

I finally realized I did have talents. I just needed to explore the things that peaked my interest.

I have five children. Three are admittedly extremely talented, and although they don’t have a big head about it, they proudly claim their talents.. Two claim they have no talent at all.

One of those two is the most kind and understanding mother and grandmother anyone could ever hope to have. I’d say that is a talent! She has managed three restaurants, but says “I’m just a cook”. She lays out the most beautiful, enticing buffet you could ever hope to serve yourself from, and meals she prepares at home are colorful as well as tasty and nutritious.
When I was building my business website, I was in a quandary about how to photograph my soaps and salves so they would have eye appeal. She said “you don’t need anything special. Put the soaps in a soap dish on a pretty crocheted doily (I know you have some of those). Off set it with a pretty pitcher or dish or something”. I took her advice and I think my pictures turned out well, but still she thinks she has no talents because she doesn’t do the things some other people do.

See? There’s the thing. Don’t measure yourself against any one else. You have your own unique talent. You have your own unique place in your community, state, country and the universe. Do you have a friend that always seeks you out when in need of a shoulder to cry on, or somebody to say “good job”? Your “talent” is making others feel good about themselves. Does your boss always hand over a specific type of assignment to you? It’s probably because you have the “talent” to do that job more proficiently than your co-workers.

Once you open your eyes to just exactly what “talent” is, then you can start looking at your life and finding things that interest you, that you’re good at. From there it’s forever onward! Your talents will increase as you gain an appreciation for yourself.