Don’t Take Your Talent To The Grave

A couple of months back, I was given an exercise on how to find out why I do what I do. – You’re writing emails, blog posts, podcasts, TikToks, etc, so what’s the reason for it all, Barry?

If you had to bottle up all you do, and put it in one sentence, what would it be?

After a long thought process, in which some innocent brain cells got burnt up, I came to this conclusion. I want to stop people from taking their talent to the grave with them. 

Far too many people do. Once they get caught up in the process of life, putting food on the table and a roof over their head, the dreams and talents they had as a kid get pushed to the wayside. –  For example, when was the last time someone told you to follow your dream or put your talent to use? 

And in a world where it’s ‘follow the leader,’ where the leader, the Government just wants you as a cog in the big machine, you’re never going to be taken to the right places. Look around, and you’ll find that the majority of the world has put their own dreams on hold to work for someone else’s dream. – Don’t talk about that childish stuff anymore and stick to your lane. That’s the way it is and that’s the way it’s always been, buddy, you’re told. 

To me, one of the sadist places you can visit is the graveyard. Not for the loss of those people, but for the dreams and talents that went with them. Those plots are filled with books, inventions, ideas, and things that the world will never see or hear. That to me, is the greatest sin we can make. Not what we did that was wrong, but what we could have done and didn’t do. 

Looking back over the sentence I’d written. I was reminded of all the things I’d done that I never thought I could do. I never saw myself as a writer, and then wrote a collection of fiction books. I never thought I’d ever have a podcast, and then I literally recorded hundreds of episodes. I never thought I’d get over my fear of being on camera, and then flooded TikTok with tons of content.  

For many of us, we see childhood as the time when talents, skills, and fun happens. When adulthood kicks in it’s the time to take things seriously. To close up that top button, try not to embarrass ourselves in public, or stand out in any way. This is the time to take things seriously. And we try and ignore how miserable, unhappy, and trapped those serious people are.

That’s the way things are, we tell ourselves.  And we then follow the people that have gone after their dream, and that don’t take life seriously. Sometimes even pay great money just to stand in their presence. We marvel at their songs, athletic skills, and books, and wonder what it must be like to be them, forgetting about the skills and talents we ourselves have been towing behind us through life. 

‘You shouldn’t slow down, you should speed up.’ – Bob Proctor.

That quote on ageing by the great Bob Proctor is something I always remind myself of. Not only should we try to get more done, and not wait for some green pasture when we’re too old to take advantage of it, but that we should try and mark off as many talents and abilities off our list as possible. 

I want to stop people from taking their talents to the grave with them. 

Hopefully, this piece I’ve written today has lit that little spark or made you a little curious about what you have under the hood. Don’t take it to the grave with you, it’s the greatest act of selfishness you could ever do. We’re going to miss out if you take it with you. 

The post Don’t Take Your Talent To The Grave first appeared on WriteCome.com.