Cultivate Your Talents

Talent does not mean you have to be an artist who paints masterpieces, or a gymnast who does flips. Talent resides within you, right now, in many different ways.
Caring for others is a talent, teaching is a talent, making people feel welcome is a talent, solving problems is a talent and conscious parenting is a talent.
Never underestimate your talents and to avoid suffering, never compare or wish for the talents of others. Focus on and accept the talents you have, and you will find great fulfilment in life.

Have you heard the story of the two wolves? A common version of it goes like this:
An old Cherokee chief was teaching his grandson about life…
‘A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.
"One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt and ego.
"The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.
"This same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"
The old chief simply replied, "The one you feed."
Only you can choose what should come into your life. Only you can choose which wolf to feed. And only you can choose what to do about it today.
Your time to begin:
The place to start is where you are. The way to start is by doing what you can, with what you know, using what you have.
You may get it wrong at first. But if you wait until you’re sure you can get it perfect, you’ll never get it done.
The best learning (Timeless Learning) comes from doing what you love and following your passion. The way to get the happy and fulfilling experiences you seek is to get busy without hesitation or the need for external approval.
The longer you wait to get started, the more powerful your doubts will grow. Jump in right away, get going, and those doubts won’t have a chance to take hold.
There’s no end to what you can accomplish if you’ll just go ahead and get going. Now is what you have, so make now your time to begin.
What inspires you?
What are you passionate about?
What kind of creative process or activity can you get lost in for hours on end?
Perhaps it is cooking, photography, painting, drawing, illustrating, making jewelry, ceramics, pottery, sculpture, crocheting or knitting, carpentry, restoring cars or rebuilding engines, gardening, crafting, graphic design, fashion… this list can go on and on, but again, the point is we are all passionate about something and we each posses natural talents.
Explore what excites you and chase it.
Getting "lost" in something that moves or inspires you is often also referred to as "flow". Distractions seem to fade away and all of your focus goes into your project. Finding creative activities that we are passionate about helps us express ourselves in a healthy way, it helps relieve stress, and it creates a sense of accomplishment, because whatever we have done, whatever we created, has never existed before. There is no wrong or right way. It doesn’t matter how big or small it is. It doesn’t matter what other people think about it.

YOU created it, and that’s an amazing thing.
I hear people say to others sometimes "oh, I wish I had your talent (or passion, or ability)." This is a negative and self-defeating statement.
EVERYBODY possesses talent in some form.
Everyone is creative in some way.
Look inside and ask yourself, "What am I passionate about?" and then follow that, wherever it takes you.
Explore, practise, refine, take classes or lessons, join a club or group, and read up about what others are doing who are passionate about the same things.
Do it without an agenda or expectations and surround yourself with people who share your passions, and people whose passions you can share.