I have a really good friend who is so creative and really talented, I mean she could try something once and it would be perfect! She's so full of talent! Then I looked at myself and there isn't nearly as half of the talent she has. So it got me thinking, well what am I doing to help me see what my talents are? So I've started a quilt. In high school I danced, I've tried to exercise, scrapbook, decorate, make cakes, bake, in Jr. high I tried violin, I've tried Make-up, hair, and tried to make bows for my girls' hair, etc.
So let me tell you what I think talent is.
Talent to me is trying something for the very first time and being good at it. Talent is something that comes effortlessly, something that's natural, second-nature.
Now with all the things I have tried I have had/have to work hard, and I soon become discouraged because I'm still not good at whatever I'm trying at the moment. For Dance I had to work hard, I mean work my BUTT off just to get where I was my senior year. I was good Really good. For my concert I was in four dances three of them with my three different dance classes I had, and one was my duet I tried out for, with a good friend. Well the other day I popped in the DVD's of my concert and watched my dance... I wasn't as good as I thought I was, it totally upset me to see that I wasn't good. Now I'm just really bummed out cause the one talent I thought I had, I really didn't have the talent for. For one I worked so hard I had three classes and yet I wasn't that good. With my quilting I thought I would be really good at it, I enjoy doing it but as soon as I finished my blocks I measured the blocks and none of them were the same size! My aunt always reminds me that there was only one perfect man on the earth and none of us are him, which I totally get, but it's still really discouraging to think that you're going to be good at something and then, BAM, you realize you're not good at it.
I know they say Practice makes perfect. Practice, practice, practice.... Bla, Bla, Bla. But If it's talent shouldn't you be good at it right from the start?
To answer your last question, NO! That would be considered a gift, or being gifted at something. If you remember the parable about the ten, five, and two talents (I can't remember the exact numbers off the top of my head right now). But the Lord blessed the two that had increased their talents. Meaning that they worked hard to 'perfect' or get more of what was given to them. Of the one that hid his talents, the Lord took them away.
ReplyDeleteIf you think that quilting is my talent, it is; however I did not start quilting and BAM was good at it, after many years of learning, quilting and working hard at it, I only consider myself in the learning stage, but it is a talent that I am and will be working on to increase.
This goes for other things, piano, cooking, sewing, gardening, etc... it takes time and effort to build it up. Don't get discouraged, try something not just once but a couple times, if you don't enjoy it, move on to something else.
As far as saying that you were not that great of a dancer, HOGWASH! You are a great dancer, you are being too critical on yourself, and when you are watching yourself, you are looking at the mistakes, defects, and other negative stuff.
Don't get discouraged, remember all the praise and positive feedback you receive to keep you motivated; listen to the negative stuff with a grain of salt, if you hear the same thing from more than one person, do a self evaluation and change it IF, and only IF, you feel it is necessary.
Thanks Kari that really helps! I just wish things would come easier, but I guess that if all things were to come easy then we would never gain anything. I am my hardest critic. And it's good to hear that I'm not the only one who needs to work hard at something I enjoy doing.
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