Natural Talents

We all have talents. A few of us out there achieve levels of genius that can and do make significant impressions on many, while others get by with or neglect what their gifts for a variety of reasons. Mostly I have heard people complain that they cannot make a living at what they are best at, so they choose what is safe and steady, which is hard to come by these days. Many become discouraged due to rejection, and then refuse to go on. The problem is that when one’s talents are suppressed, that does not mean that they just go away. Instead they remain within us, festering under the surface.

I just saw my cousin in one of the two lead female roles in her high school production of Guys and Dolls, and it got me thinking about my own natural talents. She is a fantastic singer with great stage presence; her ability to perform has been with her since childhood, when I saw her dance with her friends as part of an Indian classical ensemble. While part of a group of singers in this production, my cousin’s soprano voice stood out among the others, which were all very good in their own right. It was the first time I had ever heard her sing on her own in public, and she did it as if she had been doing it for years. I was so proud of her, and then I thought about my own desire to write. I am definitely not the best writer by any means, but I love doing it. I also notice that my writing improves the more I experiment with it. I use writing in all aspects of my life, including work, but to use it to create stories and write on topics and incidents that interest me are what I want to do more of.

Do you suppress your natural talents, or try to use them as often as possible? Does the fear of mediocrity bother you?