February 27, 2010

What Kind of Talent do you have?

Years ago I dated a guy who had amazing singing talent (all family and relatives will know who I am talking about) and one Sunday we were at his parents house chillin out on their property and talking about all these amazing things he was doing with his many wonderful musical talents. As we were talking, he looked over and asked "so do you sing?" I said, "no, not professionally," then he asked "do you play an instrument?" once again I said "no", I could tell that he was feeling a bit uncomfortable and maybe even felt sorry that I didn't have talents that others could necessarily see, so after a bit of mumbling something about what defines talents, "I replied, "well my Young Women's leader told me I have a really great personality!"


This story has brought laughter to many of my family, friends and relatives since then, but it also really started to help me think about what talents I did posses. So here are just a few talents that I think I have that have nothing to do with a musical or atheltic nature.

1. I think I do have a great personality: but just having one isn't so much a talent as what you do with it. I think I have been able to make friends easily and do get jobs that I wanted because of it. I have been able to make people feel at ease and encourage others to be friends by being the one to introduce people to each other. I have taken chances more often, knowing I could figure out the situation and make it work no matter what. It helped me when I moved to different places throughout my life to get to know people. I think it has definitly been a great blessing in my life.

2. I am a really good dancer: while I am not a professional dancer and would never attempt to try out for any professional dancer show (SYTYCD comes to mind) I do think that I can get jiggy and shake it like no other 38 year old (who is not a professionally trained dancer!). I have just always been able pick up steps quickly and could pretty much find a beat in everything, I could probably even find one in the annoying Emergency Sound System tone that gets played!! I also have to thank my dad for teaching me the more classic dances as a little kid and my mom who I think danced for awhile when she was a teenager. Dancing has really been a source of joy and has been key to me staying in shape as well!

3. I give good advice: I can almost see my siblings rolling their eyes on this one but I have found that I have an ability to help people with the advice I give. Now it's not always what they want to hear and not always wanted, but I still find a need to say those three special words...Well, I think. I have learned though that not everyone wants to hear what I have to say and I don't always follow my own advice, but that it can be of real help in some cases and this was brought to my attention the other day with a woman I used to work with. She moved here a few years ago following a painful divorce and was working at my office. She would come in everyday and tell me the stories of her life struggles and heartbreaks she was experiencing. I offered advice regularly, even when she didn't want to hear it. One day I told her she should look into going back to school. I knew she could get help from the government and she seemed like she wanted something in her life that was just hers and something she accomplished. So that is exactly what she did. She quit and went back to school. I hadn't talk to her in almost a year when she came in to help out part time while her replacement was sick. We were chatting a bit before I was going home and she said "Erin, I wanted to write you a big letter and tell you that your advice all those times is the reason I was able to go and do this." She continued by telling me that it was through my ongoing advice giving that she got the courage to go back to school. I couldn't believe it! I really thought all those times I was advice giving she really wanted to knock my block off, but she was now actually giving me some credit?...Sweet! Course, she was the one who had the courage to go out and do it but to think that I helped her to start was a huge feeling of gratefulness. Once she graduates this year she is going to be able to support herself and her kids independently and that is pretty awesome!

4 and my last one I will post; I get along with just about everyone. You may wonder "is this really a talent or is Erin just coming up with whatever sounds good?"...okay it maybe both, but seriously I really do get along with just about everyone, there may be those who refuse to allow me to get to know them but for the most part I think I make most people feel comfortable with me and if they don't I find out why and work it out so they do! Even the ones that are the most stubborn, I find I am able to win my way into their hearts eventually!

Of course I could list more but I don't think "having an huge ego" is not necessarily a good talent, so I will keep it at 4.

So I am grateful my boyfriend asked me that question because next time I will be ready with my list.

oh and p.s I actually am learning to play the guitar now!

3 comments:

Lauren February 27, 2010 at 5:31 PM  

Wow, better be careful with that advice-giving talent. What if you told her to go start a music career! You have such power!

Yes, my dear sweet sister, you have a GREAT MANY talents! Much better ones that singing or playing a musical instrument.

Esther Noelle February 27, 2010 at 10:44 PM  

And you are a beautiful friend! :) I think you're awesome!

Unknown February 28, 2010 at 12:02 AM  

I don't know if she has musical talent so that advice would not have been beneficial lol!

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