We often talk about middle and high school being the times to start habits for being successful in school, looking into careers, and making a routine. These years are also a great time to start discovering what you are good at, or your talents. One of Meriam-Webster’s definitions of talent is “1. A.) A special often athletic, creative, or artistic aptitude.” Notice the word special. It doesn’t say that it’s similar to everyone else’s talents. You may be an awesome athlete, but that doesn’t mean you have to play basketball, football, or volleyball – maybe you throw shot put and discus (like me), quidditch, or unicycle hockey.
Call it cliché but I do feel that everyone has a talent. Most people overlook their talents as something they think everyone can do. You know when people tell you how amazing your ability is, and you brush it off as nothing. Others don’t try new experiences to determine if they are good at something. These are the best years to try new tasks and see where you stand. We as people have a terrible habit of thinking of failure as something that defines who we are. Failure is simply a learning tool. It happens to the best of us. If you have never failed at doing something, you probably have never been challenged. Youth is one of the best times to fail and learn because your brain still finds it easy to store new knowledge and get rid of knowledge you don’t use. As we age our brains aren’t able to do that as much.
Ever since I was small I have had a love for singing. My father is a great singer and I am named after a beautiful singer that tragically lost her life in a plane crash in 2004. So I worked on my singing all my life because I figured it MUST be my talent. I am a decent singer but I have found another talent as a young adult that I have never tapped into before. I started attending painting classes and found that I’m a pretty good painter. My first painting compared to my most recent are as different as night and day. However, I love seeing my progress and it makes me feel good. I have 12 paintings that I am very proud of and I try to do at least one a month. All of my paintings are on my wall somewhere in the house.
Why do we care about talents? Talents can lead you to finding your career. Could I become an amazing artist and start selling my art for people to enjoy – maybe! For now however, it is a talent that helps me de-stress and focus on something I enjoy. I also get to decorate my room with my art which is an awesome feeling. The possibilities are endless with what your talents could be! Start figuring them out now! Tell others about them, then you can find friends that enjoy doing it as well!
You’ll never know until you try, and it’s a worthy feeling to be able to confidently say I did this and I’m good at it or I did that and it’s not for me. Sometimes we try things and realize we’re not good at it and we try harder to become better at it. It’s up to you. It all depends on how it makes you feel. So don’t be afraid to take that class, join/start that club, and write down that poem. You never know where your talents could take you!