Pinned to my office bulletin board are several of my daughter’s drawings. To Emily they’re nothing more than doodles whipped out during math or English class. To me, they’re treasures of her artistic talent. Had I not stumbled across them laying about the house she would’ve tossed them into the trash without another thought.
It isn’t that she dismisses her artistic abilities, it’s more a matter of her minimizing her talent. Complementing her work elicits a shrug of the shoulders and a “Thanks.” To her they’re nothing special. She doesn’t understand how something so easy for her to make could have enough value worth keeping or sharing. Part of the beauty I see in her doodles is knowing how easily they come to her. What I see as beautiful in Emily’s sketches has nothing to do with how hard she worked on an image. Her natural talent is what I admire.
The ability to see the talent of others is usually easier than recognizing the skills we possess ourselves. We admire in others what we individually aren’t skilled at doing. When a task comes easily people minimize their own efforts, placing value in the amount of effort instead of the end result. The amount of time it takes to create something is not nearly as important as sharing your talent.
Individual talents vary from one person to the next. We should be excited to share what we are good at with one another. There’s a reason we aren’t all blessed with the same gifts. It’s so we can appreciate and celebrate one another. Remember, what are nothing more than doodles to you could be treasures to someone else. Don’t squander your talents, share them. Delight in the joy you are bringing to others and accept the compliments you deserve.
