“Talented people are always tempted to coast on their abilities.”

A thought by John C. Maxwell from his book, Beyond Talent (p. 5). HarperCollins Leadership. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Are you a person who has that temptation?  Are you?

John says, “Fred Smith, author and former president of Fred Smith Associates, shared a bit of wisdom with me many years ago. He said, ‘The giftedness is usually greater than the person.’ By that he meant that the talent of some people is greater than other important personal attributes, such as character and commitment. As a result, they often fail to rise to the level of their talent. Talented people are always tempted to coast on their abilities. Or they want others to recognize their skills but overlook their deficiencies.

“Haven’t you known people who should have risen to the top but didn’t? They had all the talent they should ever need, but they still didn’t succeed. Philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson must have known people like that, too, because he said, ‘Talent for talent’s sake is a bauble and a show. Talent working with joy in the cause of universal truth lifts the possessor to a new power as a benefactor.’

“So is talent ever enough? Yes, but only in the very beginning. Novelist Charles Wilson says, ‘No matter the size of the bottle, the cream always rises to the top.’ Talent stands out. It gets you noticed. In the beginning, talent separates you from the rest of the pack. It gives you a head start on others. For that reason, natural talent is one of life’s greatest gifts. But the advantage it gives lasts only a short time. Songwriter Irving Berlin understood this truth when he said, ‘The toughest thing about success is that you’ve got to keep on being a success. Talent is only a starting point in business. You’ve got to keep working that talent.’

John goes on, “Too many talented people who start with an advantage over others lose that advantage because they rest on their talent instead of raising it. They assume that talent alone will keep them out front. They don’t realize the truth: if they merely wing it, others will soon fly past them. Talent is more common than they think. Mega-best-selling author Stephen King asserts that ‘talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.’ Clearly, more than just talent is needed for anyone who wants to achieve success.”

God has given you your talent and you are to put wisdom and hard work with it to develop it and use it to make a difference.  So, will you not coast and waste it but use it and develop it?  Will you?

Yes, yes!