Push Your Talents And You Will Discover Your Genius
Photo by Hayden Walker on Unsplash
ADVANCE CONFIDENTLY!
“Life is not about discovering our talents; it is about pushing our talents to the limit and discovering our genius.” -Robert Brault
There have been many people
throughout history who discovered their talent and then that’s where it
ended… They never took the time to develop that talent into something more.
Having a special talent and
not developing it or sharing it is like buying someone a gift and never giving
it to them. The gift does nothing for the person who bought it, or for the
intended recipient, nothing!
It is only in the exchange
that value is created. Ideas and talents can be likened to gifts. Shared, they
become powerful, perhaps even priceless, not unlike a diamond. Unshared, they
are interesting, the same way a hot air balloon is interesting tethered to the
ground…
However, tethered to the
ground the balloon is only full of the POTENTIAL to rise and soar into flight.
Genius happens when the tethers are released and the brilliant, bright and awe-inspiring
balloon takes flight. In the air, high in the sky for all to see, we marvel at
its majestic appearance! And the riders in the basket, they have a new
perspective of earth as well, for they have tapped into the power and the
brilliance of the balloon!
Go out and soar today, decide
to develop one small facet of the brilliance that is YOU! Remember, you are not
so unlike the diamond in the rough. To the untrained eye, we might not even
recognize a diamond and we certainly wouldn’t know if our own back yard was
full of diamonds if we didn’t know what to look for.
A diamond doesn’t become what
it is until it meets the eye of the stonecutter. It is the skill of the
stonecutter, (their talent pushed), that allows for them to see
the finished product in their minds eye when the stone is still a lifeless lump
of glass.
It is the application of
their skill, their talent that pushes them to become a respected and possibly
highly sought-after stonecutter. The apprentice stonecutter does not begin with
the Hope Diamond. No, they spend countless hours working on and perfecting
their craft so that one day, when the invitation comes to create a masterpiece,
they are ready!
Having discovered their
talent for stonecutting, they pushed past the thankless task and engaged in the
day to day monotonous and mundane work of becoming a genius, a genius
stonecutter.
Now, amply prepared, when the call comes in to create the next Hope Diamond, instead of wondering why they were called, they say to themselves instead, of course they called, who else would they have called ,they were looking for a Genius to turn their lump of glass into a diamond, of course they called me, after all, I am a genius stonecutter.”
It is important to understand
that this is not hubris, this is much more. It is the confidence that
comes from countless hours of beating on their craft the same way a chunk of
metal is heated and cooled, pounded and shaped into a sword of destiny. The
sword is heated, pounded, shaped, cooled, and then the process is repeated
hundreds or thousands of times to temper the steel, and then finally, the finished
product emerges as “Art.”
The sword maker is no
different than the stonecutter or the CEO, the restauranteur, or the
accountant, the lawyer or the sales professional, the writer or the producer, the
brain surgeon or the entrepreneur. Each must work on their craft, honing their
efforts, putting in the mundane hours of study and practice on their given
talent or chosen endeavor, so they can emerge a genius, not overnight but “one
day at a time.”
“Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” -Harriet Tubman
How is it that every great dream
begins with a dreamer? The reason the process unfolds in this manner is simple.
We all dream. However, we do not all dream equally. Some dream of what might
be, while others dream and make plans for what will be.
What is the difference between might
and will?
The difference between might and will, is the difference between believing and not believing. What makes dreamers so remarkably different, is their ability to entertain the possibility that they might just somehow find a way, to bring their dream into reality if, if they but remain open to the possibility of the dream…
When we are gently reminded by
someone, by the words of a song or a story, the line of a poem, or the words of
an actor or actress, the encouragement of a friend, the inspiring words of a
leader, what we are reminded of in that moment, is not the power of what is
expressed, but the recognition that what is expressed, is what is within.
We already have within us,
everything we could ever possibly need, to do, be, or become, whatever we
desire. It is only when we acknowledge what is in us, that we begin to nurture
ourselves and give ourselves permission to grow, develop, and unfold, so that
we might then become, all that we once dreamed possible…
When we acknowledge and accept our
dreams as a preview of our own life’s coming attractions, it is in the moment
of acknowledgement, the dream becomes a potential reality. We literally can
begin to see ourselves as becoming the thing we only previously dreamed about.
What is it that makes something
real anyway? Is it the something, or our belief about it that makes it
real? Are our lives not full of limiting beliefs and false assumptions? Are new
technologies and new information not changing the very landscape of everything
we thought we once knew and understood? And where does all of this new
information and these new ideas come from anyway?
The information and ideas come from
those who would dare to dream with their eyes wide open and act upon their
dreams with purpose and intention. From those who would dare to believe as
Harriet Tubman did, that within us, lies all of the passion, all of the
patience, and all of the strength and courage we will ever need to do the
things we previously only ever dreamed of.
The dream can be as big or as small as we choose. Maybe your dream is to be the best teacher you can be, maybe it’s to be the best parent. Maybe it’s to the best representative in the company, maybe it’s to be a distinguished leader, maybe it’s as simple as becoming the very best YOU possible…
Whatever it is, acknowledge it… Whatever it is, embrace it. And whatever you do, do not go back to sleep!!
My call to action is a simple one. What is it you previously dreamed about as a possibility that you simply let go back to sleep, within you? Whatever it is, it’s still there. Let it awaken slowly within you as you reflect on the words of a great 13th Century poet…
“The morning breeze has secrets to tell you, do not go back to sleep.” -Rumi
“COMMITMENT is the only thing that gets you through the chasm. Commitment takes you from “that’s a fine idea” to “it’s done.” Commitment is risky, because if you fail, it’s on you. On the other hand, without commitment, you will fail, because art unshipped isn’t art.” -Seth Godin
This quote can be found in Seth
Godin’s little purple book, V is for Vulnerable. I believe commitment is the
bridge that helps us get from where we are, to where we want to be. So, the
real question is, just how do we go from “that’s a fine idea” to
“it’s done?”
Terrified!
The feeling I was experiencing
just before hitting the publish button on Amazon can best be described as
terrified. It could also be described as exhilarating.
When I finally published THE
SOMEDAY SOLUTION, How to Go from Unsure to UNSTOPPABLE “One Day At A Time” I experienced
terror and exhilaration in almost the exact same moment.
Does this sound familiar? Think of
your last rollercoaster ride at your favorite Amusement Park.
Why would we intentionally expose
ourselves to the terror that IS the rollercoaster ride? Why ride it?
Why would we expose ourselves to
the fear of rejection? Why risk it?
Life is risky!
It’s so risky, none of us are
getting out alive…
So then, what are we REALLY afraid
of?
This is the real question we must each
answer. The answer will be different for each of us but at the core, at the
root of the question, will be some form of fear or I’m not good enough and this
is normal.
What’s not normal and must be
learned is to act anyway. This is “The Dance.”
In my opinion, fear is not something
to be overcome. It is to be embraced like a dance partner.
When we place our hand in the
small of the back of fear (or your dance partner), we will discover we can take
control of it/them the same way the lead, unbeknownst to the uninformed,
flawlessly steers the direction of the dance with a little pressure, so their
partner knows what to expect next.
Learning to dance with fear is
learning to trust that it will respond to our gentle commands if we commit to
standing our ground.
Commit to start first. Then,
commit to finish!
Everything begins first in
thought, then in action. All action is preceded by thought. Before we ever move
forward on any thought or idea, we must first choose to begin. Once we choose
to begin, and only once we choose to begin, do we move forward.
The way we choose to begin is to
make a commitment to start. We don’t have to know exactly how we are going to
get from where we are to where we want to be, as a matter of fact, what stops
many people from becoming all they are capable of, is the belief that they must
somehow already know how they are going to get from A to B.
The majority of the time, the
initial process or plan we used to determine where we want to go will have
changed or the market will change and it is only in our ability to adapt to the
change that we will develop the new path forward.
It’s impossible to connect the
dots until we begin the process and we usually can’t even see what the process
was, until after we have already arrived at whatever destination success has
delivered.
Needing to know all the details of
the how will have us missing emerging opportunities as they appear. We must be
open to the process and trust in our ability to shift or pivot as necessary to
overcome the inevitable obstacles that are sure to appear on the path.
Staying committed to our desired
outcome is important. We begin with the end in mind. We simply COMMIT, then
figure it out as WE move forward!
Create art, our work is our art,
our art is our work…
True Success is a Blend of Qualities and Character
ADVANCE CONFIDENTLY!
“Success is ninety-nine
percent mental attitude. It calls for love, joy, optimism, confidence,
serenity, poise, faith, courage, cheerfulness, imagination, initiative,
tolerance, honesty, humility, patience and enthusiasm.”
-Wilferd
A. Peterson
I
discovered this quote while searching for a message about TOLERANCE.
The incessantly loud knock that
interrupted the writing of this article originally had no place here but
magically appeared to remind me of what I am now sharing.
We often write about, speak about,
think about, and yes, even resist the lessons we most need to learn and
understand.
Yes, almost everything I write
about comes from my own willingness to examine the experiences of my life to
see how they might benefit someone else.
Perhaps in the sharing of my own
struggles, someone will see that whatever they are experiencing is normal and
not a defect of character, but a lesson in disguise.
Where was I? Oh yes, this article
and the quote I was searching for…
There are a limited number of
quotes as it relates to tolerance by itself… On the other hand, there are
almost an unlimited number of quotes on success. This quote speaks to the
qualities of success, or as stated here, the attitude of success.
This observation brings me to the
word success as an outcome versus success as a way of life.
I would submit the word success
has over time somehow become misconstrued to mean something it was never meant
to represent.
Success is not what we do or what
we achieve; success is who we are, it’s who we become. It is merely a byproduct
of how we live.
When we embrace and engage in
purposeful thinking, we get to decide how we show up. We stop being at the
mercy of things and circumstances.
The one thing we each have the capacity
to control is our thinking. Our thinking generally controls our actions, but
only when we are fully present and fully engaged in the process.
Let’s examine patience as an
example, because it’s one of the virtues most everyone can relate to. If we are
struggling with patience, we simply need to first acknowledge the struggle as
an opportunity to be more patient and then simply think about what actions will
change our level of patience…
This is where the concept becomes really interesting; tolerance improves patience, honesty improves patience, cheerfulness improves patience.
See the connection?
Yes, everything affects everything
else and that’s why SUCCESS is who we are, not what we do or achieve.
Better Actions,
Activities, and Habits = Improved Results
ADVANCE CONFIDENTLY!
“You don’t get results by focusing on results. You get results by focusing on the actions that produce results.” -Mike Hawkins
It’s easy to become so
fixated on our desired outcome, on the results we are striving for, that we
forget results are typically a natural consequence of our actions.
If we want to improve in
almost any area of our lives, all we need to do is evaluate our actions. When
we focus on our actions, we can adjust our activities.
Fitness is one of the
easiest areas to evaluate as it relates to results because usually, all we must
do is look in the mirror to understand whether we are achieving the results we
desire.
Generally, if we are not
experiencing the level of results we expect, we need only look to our exercise
routines or our food choices to discover where we have let down in the area of
the actions we know are required to obtain the results we anticipate.
If for example our desired
result is a lean, fit, healthy body, unless we are genetically gifted, we will
have to engage in a regular set of activities that support us achieving our
desired outcome. We become what we focus on.
Our actions and our
activities are what will lead to the achievement of our desired goals. The easy
thing to remember is that we don’t ever do goals, we do activities that support
our goals and the results we experience are a direct result of the activities.
If we are falling short in
almost any area of our lives, all we have to do is take the time to look at
what actions we either are or are not doing or taking and we will gain a clear
picture of where our opportunity to improve exists.
According to several
different habit experts, if we want to affect real change in our lives, we need
look no further than our well-established habits.
The experts may disagree
on the best way to obtain a specific result, but it seems there is one element
they all agree on.
Our habits will either
make us or break us.
The results we either
achieve or don’t will be more related to our habits than almost any other
contributing factor.
The good news for all of
us is there is no valid excuse today for not adopting the habits we choose.
There are multiple books and many free articles on how to change a habit.
According to Dr. BJ Fogg,
you can simply start by flossing one tooth…
For more on this idea, see
his viral TEDx talk in the link below.
Learning to use Inspiration as a Catalyst for Creativity and Content Creation
ADVANCE
CONFIDENTLY
“Without inspiration the best powers of the mind remain dormant, there is a fuel in us which needs to be ignited with sparks.” -Johann Gottfried Von Herder
Inspiration is a form of expanded language. With inspiration, the very best of all we are capable of as human beings may be accessed. Our minds hold tremendous potential. We have within us the capacity for greatness. Inspiration is the spark, the thought promoting piece of the puzzle, allowing us to access a higher part of our consciousness. Ideas often come from inspiration. Ideas come to life when acted upon after receiving inspiration.
Inspiration
is like a catalyst in the makeup of an experiment. It is the substance required
for the experiment to proceed at an increased rate as it tends to speed up the
reaction of the elements. Inspiration works the same way in our minds: It gives
us the ability to see more clearly that which has yet to be produced. It helps
us in the visioning process of creation.
Ideas
will forever remain just ideas unless acted upon with faith, conviction, determination,
belief, and persistence. Inspiration is the spark which ignites our ability to
access the fuel in our mind for creative effort. Once accessed, the key element
is action. We must take consistent action on our inspiration so the spark can
be fanned into a flame.
As the
small flame of possibility grows, more and more action is added to the flame
and soon we are on fire with enough passion to bring our project into reality.
Our efforts literally create something from nothing, all from the spark of
inspiration!
