By David Magallanes / Guest columnist
I’m fascinated by the whole topic of personal uniqueness. We’re all somewhat aware of it. Certainly, everyone in our home or in our office or in our classroom is different. In fact, very different, for a lot of different reasons.
An associated fascination I have is observing people’s talents. Some talents seem to shine through an individual’s life from the very inception — like around 2 years old. And others among us plod along for decades wondering just what our talent is. If we have even an inkling, our talent might be snuffed out, just like a cigarette butt, by the disapproval of our families and peers. Most of us eventually become aware of our unique talent and it often becomes the means by which we enjoy a nice hobby, like singing, dancing, or writing.
But what if that talent, that gift, that unique blessing bestowed upon us, were to be parlayed into our life’s work, or a vocation — a true calling? What if we really are here for a reason, and our talent is the means by which we will serve? What if our talent is so special and so unique that we could actually not only “earn a living” with it, but prosper beyond our wildest dreams as a natural consequence of polishing that rough diamond with which we were born, for reasons we may never know? Is it possible that we all have an inner spring of talent that will nourish the world with its freshness if we just, first of all, discover it, and then actually tap into it?
Most of us, I think, stuff our talents down, disabling them from reaching their fully and naturally intended potential, because of the messages we receive as children or as adults, or because we simply get “busy” with our scripted roles in life as workers, parents, employees, students. And if we dare to share with others that mysterious urge or expression that is so uniquely ours, how likely is it that someone significant (or even insignificant) in our lives is going to immediately throw shovels of dirt on our inner fire with that infamous scolding,“Well, just who do you think you are?”
Sometimes that’s all it takes for us to take the wrong path for decades, until we realize how far we’ve gone from the path that should have been ours all along. Hopefully, when that happens, we won’t despair with the realization that we’ve digressed for nearly a lifetime, and that now it’s too late to find our way back.
I have “lifetime books” much as I have “lifetime friends.” In one of my “lifetime books,” Wishcraft — How To Get What You Really Want, author Barbara Sher offers an encouraging hint to those of us seeking our way back: “You will recognize your own path when you come upon it, because you will suddenly have all the energy and imagination that you will ever need” (p. 6).
Interesting. It’s as if when we stumble upon our path, we touch that third rail that supplies high voltage, and then the inexplicable power of the universe flows through our efforts. Composers like Mozart, poets like Robert Frost and scientists like Marie Curie touched that third rail and lit up the world with their gifts.
What is the gift, the talent, the genius with which we have been richly blessed, and of which we may not even be fully aware? What would it take for us to dare to touch that rail that would direct our energy, with full force, into the world and make it a richer, more peaceful, more beautiful, more livable place?
Sher, Barbara. Wishcraft. New York: Ballantine Books, 1979.
— David Magallanes is the creator of his own enterprise, Real World Projects, a business primarily dedicated to building marketing business networks for the creation of affluence. In this pursuit, Real World Projects constructs distribution outlets for highly reputable products that offer a healthier life and a more vibrant lifestyle, as well as free training and guidance for those who wish to create their own similar enterprise. David is available for speaking opportunities. To contact him and for more information, visit and explore the Real World Projects web site at www.realworldprojects.info
Editor’s note: Please click on links on the right-hand side of the website to see previous guest columns by David Magallanes.