Honing Your Talent

What do Bill Gates, Mother Theresa and Oprah have in common!

Ever heard the saying “your gift will make a way for you”? What do you think?

I dare say this is what individuals like Bill Gates, Mother Theresa and Oprah have in common; their gifts (natural talents and abilities) – and plenty of hard work – have contributed to making a way for them.

Operating in our natural talents can enable us perform at our optimum, as we are doing what we are naturally gifted to do, and it comes easier to us. This is also because operating in our natural talent is synonymous to working in our area of strength, and as John C. Maxwell discusses in his book ‘Put Your Dream to the Test’, when we are able to work in and build on your strengths, this activates the law of least effort, enables consistently good results, and gives the highest returns.

However, working and walking with our natural talents does not automatically mean things will be easy or go smoothly; that clients will come automatically or we get easily promoted in our jobs. It may be tempting to sit back and expect that because I have a natural gift, opportunities will come finding me or I will excel at what I do, well not necessarily. It means I have a strength upon which if I put in some effort, I open myself to greater opportunities and build excellence.

We have each been given talent(s), and in order for it to be of value, for doors to be opened, or to make an impact, we need to not only activate it, we also need to continuously nurture it. I am reminded of the parable found in Matthew 25:14-28 where three servants are given five, three and one talent respectively, but only the servants with the five and two talents trade with their talents to bring about returns (ROI). On the other hand, the servant with one talent does nothing with his; giving the excuse of not wanting to lose it, he hides it away leaving the talent to lay dormant. And this leads to his master taking away the talent and giving it to the other servants who had the five and two talents! Wow … is it not interesting how the rich seem to keep getting richer, and sometimes the poor remain status quo?

Are we like the servant who has an excuse for hiding away their talent? Are we hiding behind one excuse or the other on why we are not doing anything with our God given talents? Are we scared of perhaps failing?

We have to be willing to take a chance even if it means failing, a couple other books by John C. Maxwell ‘Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn’ and ‘Failing Forward’ are great resources that teach and provide inspiration on turning seeming failures to moments of opportunities we can learn from. Sometimes we fail forward in order to succeed. But for every encounter we have failed at, it is important we pause, reflect and learn from it on how we can do better. There is often an opportunity to learn from our experiences and hone our talents in order to prepare and propel ourselves forward.

We have each been given one, two or more talents to make a difference, and the world or someone out there is waiting for you, so take a bold step today and do your thing! “…For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required”!

About the Author

Yvonne Ruke Akpoveta is the Principle Change Consultant & Speaker with OliveBlue Inc.