Talent

Equipped with the Execute Skill number 1, Gerbil ventured into the jungle. He no longer walked like a gunny bag whom every one could sock into. He walked with chest out and head held high.

“ You cant just sit on a perfect attitude. Nothings gonna happen.”

‘Aah..!?.’

“Indentify and look for your talent…”

‘Hmmmm.’

“Search your talent .

Let’s take the next step - identify your talent.”

Folks coming back from the thicket rushed to Gecko and whispered “Hush, shhh, bla, guppa… was found looking into holes.”

Gecko slowly crept towards Gerbil who was looking into a hole and spanked him on his butt.

“Fush! Gosh! You’re searchin’ for talent in a hole !! Talent is not external, you moron. It is within you.”

This is an intensive case, needs observation. Gecko though gravely.

“I hear from folk that you sing. Let’s hear it.”

The Gerbil was now enthusiastic. He had realized that this was indeed goin’ somewhere as he rubbed his bruised butt.

With great gusto Gerbil began to sing.

Gecko’s jaw dropped . Had he spotted raw drippin’ talent ? He regained his composure quickly enough though.

“ Folks bully you when you sing. This explains it.”

And ordered him to immediately stop it.

Gerbil looked lost.

Gecko felt sorry for him for yet again and said softly … “talent is something you can do that could have potential value…”

They were taking a walk in the cool evening breeze when Gecko suddenly had a brainwave.

“ Hey Gerbil. Have you had an apple fall on your head … anytime? Think, think.”

Gerbil thought and thought and tried hard to remember whether such an incident had happened to him and finally said “NO.”

That rules out physics rued Gecko.

No talent for singing. No talent for physics.

Out of sheer exasperation :

“Let’s try math’s as a last resort.”

He took 2 twigs, put them before Gerbil and said

“1 plus 1 is how much? "

Gerbil went near the sticks and sniffed them.

Gerbil picked them with his tail and began to dance. He flung them, caught them mid air and bounced them against each other but never got to the answer.

But Gecko had his.

Gerbil was a born dancer.

There are famous footballers who started out playing basket ball. The most famous physicist of all time was an unremarkable student.

Sometimes talent is obvious. Other times it takes time to unfurl and flower within you. You may need to nurture it.

Something you are particularly good at. Something you enjoy doing will make you an expert in it over time. You might find the most unlikeliest of talents hidden within you. Which may pleasantly surprise and even shock you. And but it might well be the case with many of us.

Many of us may be like Gerbil peering down holes or ruling out falling apples. Like, I was. I thought I will be a popular doctor. But I turned out being a writer read by millions. Which at the end of the day put a big smile on my face.

Our ambitions are different from our talents. Many a times these are shaped by our peers, what our parents did or what we are currently enamored of. But our talents may lie elsewhere. We need to recognize that our ambitions are different from our talents.

It is of course not wrong to succeed in our ambitions but our talents can take us to unimaginable pinnacles.

Pursuing talent may have an inherent risk which you are aware of or which may reveal itself down the line.

But, you cannot just wade though life. These are exciting times. Such opportunity and means to achieve our dreams has never existed before.

Execute Skill No 2: Talent