40+FAB Blog
Does talent matter?
There is a Judo-Christian parable that made popular the use of the word talent to describe a persons abilities.
The parable tells of three men who received money (then called talents) from their master. The first received five, another received two and the last received one. The first two men traded with their talents and doubled what they had. The last man refused to use his one talent and hid it in the ground.
I am sure you can relate with this parable as some people seem to have all the gifting and ability in the world to do well wherever they find themselves, while others only seem to be good at one thing, if at all.
The truth however is not about how gifted a person is, but how they use what they are gifted with. There are many singers out there who are way better than the music icons we know today. The difference between both, if you really investigate, will come down to how each has used their gift.
I met a man many years ago who had what I describe as a golden voice. He sounded like a polished radio host anytime he spoke. I always asked him why he never considered taking a job at a radio station. It was always one excuse after another that he had, and the funny thing was he always seemed to be broke and constantly asking for a handout. No amount of encouragement would move him to take advantage of his talent.
Most of the successful people you could think of today are usually good at just one thing and do not necessarily have many other abilities, yet they have excelled greatly because they knew how to use their one thing.