"Talent is a given, but you must earn success."

A thought by John C. Maxwell in his book, Talent Is Never Enough (p. 9). HarperCollins Leadership. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)

Have you found that to be true?

John says, "You see, people who neglect to make the right choices to release and maximize their talent continually under-perform. Their talent allows them to stand out, but their wrong choices make them sit down. Their friends, families, coaches, and bosses see their giftedness, but they wonder why they so often come up short of expectations. Their talent gives them opportunity, but their wrong choices shut the door. Talent is a given, but you must earn success."

He continues, "In contrast, talent-plus people come as close as humanly possible to achieving their potential. They frequently overperform. People see their giftedness and are amazed at how they continually rise above expectations. Their talent gives them opportunity, and their right choices open the door for even greater success."

He goes on, "Life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make makes you. What will you do for your career? Who will you marry? Where will you live? How much education will you get? What will you do with today? But one of the most important choices you will make is who will you become! Life is not merely a matter of holding and playing a good hand as you would hope to do in a card game. What you start with isn’t up to you. Talent is God-given. Life is playing the hand you have been dealt well. That is determined by your choices.

"TALENT + RIGHT CHOICES = A TALENT-PLUS PERSON

"The talent-plus people are the ones who maximize their talent, reach their potential, and fulfill their destiny.

"I was reading a book by Dr. Seuss to my grandchildren called Oh, The Places You’ll Go! In it, I found a wonderful truth. It said,

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself.

Any direction you choose.

"John then said, "I believe that with all my heart. My prayer is that Talent Is Never Enough will help you to steer yourself in the right direction and make right choices that will empower you to become a talent-plus person, build upon the foundation of your abilities, and live your life to its fullest potential."

And that is what we want, isn't it? Yes, yes! #continuethought

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