Talent is Never Enough: Preface

So I have actually read the first two chapters of this book, and can't recall a whole lot of information that I digested. Like I said....bad memory. So before continuing with reading, I'm going to skim through the first two chapters and refresh my memory, blogging my thoughts and important quotes I find along the way.

The book Talent is Never Enough starts with a preface to the first chapter. Within this opening, Maxwell asks the question: DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES? He is talking about succeeding. Do "I" have the necessary tools to be successful. Maxwell then goes on to share some of his beliefs in regards to talent & success:

1) EVERYONE HAS TALENT: "people have equal value, but not equal giftedness" As an educator, this quote really hits home. There are times I find my students values in their gifts. I need to strive to view ALL of my students as equal regardless of their abilities. Maxwell also reassures the believe that "all of us have something we can do well" If this is true, it is my responsibility to find that "something" within myself and within those who I live with and am around daily.

2)DEVELOP THE TALENT YOU HAVE, NOT THE ONE YOU WANT: "why do most people spend the majority of their time focused on strengthening their weaknesses?" Maxwell teaches people to stop working on weaknesses & start working on strengths. To be completely honest, I don't know how I feel about this. It really forces me to forget the feeling that I shouldn't have weaknesses. Human condition provides the opportunity for ALL to have weaknesses, so why should we focus on them? If I were to focus on this approach to talent, I would NOT be blogging right now, I would NOT be making a conscious effort to read more, and I would DEFINITELY not be focusing on my piano skills. I think I would be continue to focus on relationships. I would look more at character education. My life would be even MORE engrossed with the youth of America! This is still a tough point for me to continue to chew on...any outside thoughts?

3)ANYONE CAN MAKE CHOICES THAT WILL ADD VALUE TO TALENT: "the key choices you make - apart from the natural talent you already have - will set you apart from others ho have talent alone" Maxwell adds 13 key choices that can be made to maximize any person's talent. For the sake of simplicity, I'm focusing on the token word of each choices: Belief, Passion, Initiative, Focus, Preparation, Practice, Perseverance, Courage, Teachability, Character, Relationships, Responsibility, & Teamwork. Talent alone will help you along the path of success, but focusing on the above words will help you to stand out in your field of choice. Make it a goal to weekly focus on one of the above terms & see what difference it can make in your successes.

So what does all of this mean? Talent is truly NEVER enough. You have to make a decision to work at those talents to maximize true growth. As I continue to read this blog, I'm really going to strive to find ways to apply this to ALL areas of my life. It is easy to find the connection to my career, but what about my walk with God, my service to my wife, my relationships with friends & families. Success, leadership, and talent play important roles in ALL of these areas of life, so don't neglect majority to gain growth in just one!

Dr. Suess said it best in the book "Oh the Places You'll Go!" when he said:

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yoruself
Any direction you choose.

So I ask you...which direction are you steering your life?