Writing about my talents coming from a family with excellent skills in music is a little humbling. While I was tasked with learning piano, music theory, choir and other such musical things, I wouldn't consider it a talent. Yes, I believe that talents are things that we can develop and take from nothing to excel in. However, music is something I struggled to grasp. It has been a battle my whole life. While nearly every other member in my family is a scholar of music, that is not the case for me.
But, the task to write about this week isn't about my non-talents, it is about my talents both growing up and now.
I can't really think of anything that I would consider a talent much before junior high and high school. This is where an awkward teenager began to notice and develop a few of his talents. This first of mention is running. While this could be debated as a talent, running came natural to me and it was something I naturally wanted to develop. Along with enjoying it and wanting to do it, my body conformed as well. Yes, it took a lot of time and effort, but it was something that not only I enjoyed doing, my body reacted well to me doing it.
I have published this story in a Holt Family story book, but I'll write it in a little different way to stay on the topic of talents.
I remember one spring/early summer day near the end of the school year for me at Roy Junior High, my older brother and his crew from the Roy High School Cross-country team coming over to the school during our track practice to recruit new members. They were looking for students that were going to be sophomores. I was in the 7th grade. I had joined the track team at the junior high, mostly because I wanted to be like Jason, my older brother. He was a runner and would get up every morning in the summer to go and run at the high school. I had been to a few of his track meets and I wanted to be just like him.
The team wasn't really looking for a 7th grader and I don't think I was even eligible, but somehow through quite a bit of nagging I'm sure, I ended up being able to join the team. I'm sure there were some kind of stipulations involved, and I'm also sure I received some preferential treatment having an older brother on the team.
Every morning throughout the summer my brother and I would get up early and be at the school for 7 a.m. cross-country practice - which pretty well meant to go for a run. For some reason the coach and team took me under their wings and helped me to develop this talent I was given. I continued on with the team after Jason graduated and moved on with his life. I kept going until I graduated. My senior year I felt that I should move in a different direction. I was asked to serve in a leadership position with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints seminary. With that and other interests, I decided to quite the team. That only lasted part of the summer. I ended up going back to the team and finishing out my senior year with the team. I sure it was for a few reasons, but I remember a few of my good friends and the coach specifically asking me to come back for our last season.
While a few of my teammates decided to continue on running in high school, I did not. However, to this day I am one of the few of my group of running friends that is still running. Yes, I have my good times and not-so-good times, other priorities like spending time with my family or church callings that keep me away from running, as well as being lazy. However, running is still one of the things I consider a talent. It is also one of the things that has the biggest impact on me being able to step back from life for a while and clear my mind.
Another talent that began to come out in high school was an ability to befriend people. I was usually able to step away from worrying about what others would think of me and just do what I thought was best for the situation. I have to admit that this may have led to quite a bit of pushing the envelope. I found myself pushing styles and doing certain things just to prove that it didn't matter what you wore or looked like, but it mattered who you were and what you did. The clothes I wore and things I did through high school were to make myself and others comfortable in their own skin. Whether it was from these actions or others, I had a large group of friends that crossed the existing groups of kids at Roy High School. I was able to penetrate the music, student government, cowboy, skater, jock and other lines that were very noticeable growing up.
I believe this talent as continued to grow and deepen. One thing with talents is that they are from the eyes of the person who feels they have the talent. I think that is half the battle. If you don't believe you have talent, it won't go anywhere. Once you believe you have the talent and do something about it is where you either feel guilty for not doing something with it, or you take that talent and make it shine and grow. So, I think this talent with people has grown to where I can easily befriend people of all types. I can go up and start conversations with them and not worry about what they might be thinking about me as a person. I also think I have the ability to read people and what they are feeling or thinking. I think this is a talent my Father in Heaven has given me to be able to reach out to my brothers and sisters.
I think there are various other talents I have. I know that I have been given certain talents for a particular reason, some unknown at this time. I also know that I have to continue working on talents for them to continue existing - or they will be taken from me. A talent isn't something that you just naturally have, it is something that you have to work at to see it work in your life.
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