America Really Does Have Talent
For those who aren’t big on keeping up with the latest television shows, there is one on during the week called “America’s Got Talent.” The show features real people from across the United States who get a minute or two on stage to stand in front of three celebrity judges, a large studio audience, and several million viewers watching at home. The contestants can showcase any talent they want and the three judges briefly watch them to determine if the talent being displayed is worthy to go on to the next round. Like other shows of this type, the contestants are competing against each other to see who has a talent that the American public absolutely loves. (They usually get an idea of their popularity very quickly based on the collective boos or cheers from the large audience in front of them.) When watching from home, the viewer can see all kinds of acts - everything from fire juggling, to tap dancing, to sword swallowing, snake charming and on and on and on. The show is quite entertaining, simply because of the broad spectrum of abilities that are shown.
Watching the show from time to time has helped reinforce the thought that each of us has a unique talent or gift of some sort, even if it is so latent that we never really discover it. To be more specific, I have heard the following statement many, many times in my life: “You (or they) sure are good at ______ (fill in the blank)! I sure wish I was good at something like that! I can’t sing or speak or anything but IF I did have a special talent, it sure would be nice.” Many of us have said or heard a statement similar to that. The older I get, the more I believe that statements along those lines are utter nonsense. We ALL have something unique to bring to the table in life.
So why do most people believe that they do NOT have something to bring to the table? Several reasons, in my opinion. First, most of us are busy being impressed with what others can do and marveling in their abilities. Too much focus on others takes away from our ability to develop our own talent(s). Secondly, you have to take an active interest in something - i.e., make a decision. If you like to sing, go for it. If you like to write, go for that. Not sure? Try a bunch of things. Third, it takes work. I enjoy speaking to groups of people and feel as though I do a respectable job at it. But it is something I have worked tirelessly at my entire life. No talent can be developed without lots and lots of practice. Finally, showcasing our talent takes guts and sometimes a lot of them. Putting our talent out there for the world to see means we risk being embarrassed and falling flat on our face. And none of us in our right mind enjoys being ridiculed. But that is a chance that must be taken with the development of any talent.
Many of us may never get to the level of showmanship seen by some of the contestants on the show. But… that is not what’s important. Our talent or gift may simply be in our giving nature or ability to selflessly help others. Whatever our abilities happen to be, may we develop them to the fullest and not be afraid to use them. As always, I look forward to your thoughts.