Earn The Talent

I used to think that I was a pretty humble person but this journey that I call entrepreneurship has shown me that isn’t the case in some areas at all.

I think that I have created a community of people that aren’t judgemental but I find it extremely difficult to try new things for fear of failing. My whole business has been a crash course on bouncing back from mistakes but it’s still hard for me to introduce new things that I haven’t perfected.

I consume a lot of internet (which is not a good thing!) and my idea of perfect can be altered by the art that I see. There is a big difference between the art that you see and the art that you can create. Most people are only putting out their best work and it can sometimes give the illusion that you should be able to easily re-create their level of work. Consuming the end product with acknowledging the process can be dangerous.

Earlier this week I was talking about the difference between the first product image (Pictured above) I took and where I am in the journey now. Looking at that photo reminded me of how I was feeling as I was taking that photo. I was down about it and honestly didn’t think it was good enough. I can look back at it now and realize that it was actually pretty good for a true, never picked up a camera, didn’t know a thing about photography attempt.

This is where the arrogance comes in, I haven’t been humble about being a beginner. It’s very arrogant of me to look at someone that has been doing the work on their craft for 3, 5, 10, or even 15 years and feel like I should be as good as they are. That type of thinking means that you must not have respect for the craft or that you think it doesn’t require any hard work, training or research. How arrogant was I to think that I could pick up a camera and be as good as a professional? What exactly does that say to me about the term ‘professional’?

The concept that I want to bring to your awareness today ‘Earning your talent’. Are you taking time to earn the gift you have been given? Are you perfecting it? This week in the Monday Motivation I said that we are all sent here with a gift thats meant to make the world around us better. What are you doing with your gift or talent?

We all know the parable of the talents. A master left his servants with different talents expecting them to ‘take care’ of them. Two out of Three servants multiplied those talents while one just made sure not to lose the talents.

Are you doing the bare minimum or are you multiplying your talent?

Earn your talent by taking the necessary steps to multiply it.

1. First Acknowledge that you have a gift. Your gift is the thing that you do the best with the least amount of effort that can help others and brings you joy Romans 12:6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith.
2. Practice Your Gift. Dont fear making mistakes. Failure is just information for the next attempt! Practice builds endurance and exposes you to situations needed to grow your gift. Most photographers will tell you that the only way to get better is to take more pictures. Every picture is a new opportunity to learn something different. 1 Timothy 4:14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.
3. Share your gift. At the heart of every person is a teacher for the things they are passionate about. When you take the time to perfect your skill or talent you are only gaining information to pass on to those coming behind you. What we learn and live through is meant to make the world around us better. It would be a waste to take a lifetime of perfecting a craft to the grave. Matthew 25:29 “For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.”

If you have read to this point then I hope that I have given you something to aid you in the journey of earning your talent. I hope that you don’t see failure as a stop sign and I hope that you continue with purpose on this journey that never ends. I’ll leave you with a photograph that symbolizes where I am on the journey now although I am far from finished.