"Everyone has talent. What is rare is the courage
to follow the talent to the dark place where it leads."
- Erica Mann Jong
MINDY: When I was 11, I told my Mom I was going to help others when I grew up. I always knew my talent was to be the person standing behind others, helping them achieve their goals.
I had the same intention when I started Find Your Inner Fabulous with Ruth, to be the person encouraging her and helping her share her talent with the world. I never dreamed my talent would be shared with so many, because I didn’t think I’d have the courage to write my ideas in a book. Having the spotlight on me makes me uncomfortable.
I think the quote above is about allowing yourself to see the journey on which your talent will take you, even if sometimes it's scary or difficult.
RUTH: I always wanted to be an actor, then also a writer. But, both are riskier occupations for earning a good living than, say, being a lawyer. And some talents are more subjective. How do you know, for example, if you’re a good enough writer if you can’t find a market to buy your projects?
As senior year of college approached, I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to support myself without a “real job.” I worked for several years, then after amassing some savings, quit to pursue acting...but failed to earn enough to live on. This made me fear another full-time pursuit of my dreams. Finally, after 13 years of another corporate America job, I realized “someday is now.”
MINDY: A client gave me permission to share how she optimizes today’s quote. Let’s call her Alyssa. Alyssa worked for her company for 22 years and hadn’t done anything to warrant a demotion, but her job was given to someone else. She ended up two desks away from her old one, forced to watch her former team as they tried to manage without her.
Alyssa loved her old job, but became overwhelmed by the volume of work on her plate. She knew her talent was seeing details and that she was very good at her job, but would not consider looking for a new one until she was pushed out. Alyssa needed to seek ways to use her talent and confront fears of where doing so might lead her. She found a position in the same company, and is excited about her new team because they seem to appreciate her skill set but don’t overtax her.
My fear of being the person in the front has become the reality I need to face. In thinking about Erica Mann Jong’s quote, confidence is the word that comes to mind. Do I have the confidence to stand in front of the world and show everyone my beliefs? What if people don’t agree? What if people criticize what I say and what I do? Am I ready to take that risk?
The only answer I can give to all of those questions is YES. Not because I like the idea that people will disagree or challenge my beliefs, but because I have confidence in my convictions. I’ve seen enough people find success in the concepts I teach (and put in the book) and have had a lot of positive feedback from those who’ve used the tools I’ve suggested. We all need that to find the self-assurance to put our point of view to the world. What I hear from others helps to reinforce that my concepts and ideas are good so that I can feel confident to move forward with the book.
If she hadn’t been pushed, Alyssa wouldn’t have sought a better position or challenged herself to find a way to use her talents in another way. Some times in life we need to go down a difficult path to help us to see the opportunities that will better fit our lives and better utilize our talents. I wouldn’t have sought out the spotlight, but when the opportunity arose, I was willing to seize the chance.
Can you see your talents? Have you challenged yourself to see where your talents can take you?
