We all know when we see someone truly gifted displaying their talents; whether we are viewing a beautiful painting, a thoughtful photograph, or even exceptional skills on the basketball court or the graceful skater on the ice. Especially, if the person is a gifted singer — even if they don’t share your taste in music, someone who is exceptional is always said to be using their gifts. Often those who we say are gifted will also tell you how much work they did to hone their gift …. through vocal training, years of piano practice or even early morning hours in the gym or at the ice rink.
We have also seen those “almost” people…. people will say “It’s a shame, he had so much talent but… set him back or they just gave up. Conversely, we have seen folks on those TV Talent shows where they had to do other things to make a living until age 47 before they finally get on the big stage and it’s like WOW! Sometimes, the judges will say “Did you NOT know how good you are?” So often, I think what separates so many folks who are living quiet lives of desperation and those living the “good” life is …
… a combination of factors. Maybe in reality even if they thought they were good… the self doubt of “Am I good enough?” Or their parents or friends told them “Yes, you are good but those types of breaks don’t happen to our family.” Or worse, there you go dreaming again when you need to focus on making a living. Even worst of all is when they are told “No, you are not good enough!” so just enjoy singing and get a real job! It could also be an art teacher who told a creative person, their work is terrible (this actually happened to Charles Schwartz who developed the Charlie Brown and Snoopy cartoons!) Not all creative efforts need to be a Picasso nor a Monet. Creativity is used to solve problems and encouraging creativity could move a person forward in unimaginable but valuable ways.
Greatness can also be in the form of the skilled auto mechanic or surgeon or even the friend’s mom who is so warm and nurturing and always has the best snacks so all that all the kids want to hang out there.
I believe everyone has a gift! Sometimes they have the opportunity to discover it at a young age and life gives them the avenue to pursue it. Sometimes we have to really work to discover our gift. Sometimes by not succeeding at various things, until the gift is uncovered! Once you discover your gift, then you have to learn how to make money from it (also called monetizing your gift!). This is where “mining the gap” comes in. For example, let’s say there are only 50 Pro Basketball teams and each one has one “center” player and you are a gifted “center” player. If you try out for the teams, you will find out how talented you are and if your gift is appreciated by getting an offer to play. However, if you don’t it doesn’t necessarily mean you are not talented. It may mean you have to move or pivot!
Many great athletes end up moving and playing for other countries, e.g. Greece or Romania, etc. If you don’t want that do you give up? Some do but maybe you just need to pivot to coaching or try to learn to play another position.
If you are a gifted photographer with dreams to take that “one photograph” that wins a grand artistic prize, but how do you afford to live? Maybe you have to pursue it as a hobby and work as a computer programmer or something else. However, maybe you find a way to use your talents like photographing houses for sale to support yourself while you keep trying for that magical photo.
Steve Harvey is very open that his gift is comedy and that he had to persevere until he got his big break. Maybe that is the difference between success and failure. He admits he failed and tried and lost his money and tried again. Today he is living a great life. Perseverance can be the missing piece. It is said that Thomas Edison tried over 2000 times to find the right filament to make the electric lightbulb that was the precursor of the incandescent bulb.
I have told quite a few folks that you have to find where you can compete. Especially, when I had to refocus when I hit roadblocks for not having finished my degree. I finally went back to school at night and finished my degree and magically I finally got promoted at work. There are jobs that you do not need a degree for however, it might stop that next promotion. Then again, you may have a degree but the work you want may require you to move to a bigger city. To help you find where you can compete or even what you need to compete, look at the Bureau of Labor and Statistics website and review the Occupational Outlook Handbook. This is a great resource to review before going into debt to get a degree in an area that maybe declining or just won’t pay enough to cover the degree costs. It can you help decided if you can afford to use your gift to make money. That said, it may also provide ideas of where you can compete.
Maybe you can share your knowledge on YouTube! I learned how to paint my front porch railings by watching a YouTube video. Not all of us can become the darling of the internet and make a million dollars, however, it doesn’t mean that we can’t persevere until we get our big “break.” Maybe you have more than one gift and you can use that gift to make money to afford a nice life so you can pursue your artsy gift on your own time. You never know where this can lead.
It is important to try and find your gifts and your gap ASAP. My next post will delve into helping you finding your gift. The world needs your gift and you need it too! Once you can mine the gap with your gift… the money will come. And this is a comfortable place to be!
BLS website for the Occupational Outlook Handbook https://www.bls.gov/ooh/
