From the first fight in the history of battlefields to a college application today, talent-famine is one of the few things that continue to flourish untouched by war, technology or social reformation. With over 200 imdb titles including the word "talent" and over 199,000,000 google results on "how to be talented", talent remains one of the most coveted traits a human can have attributed to his name.
Working on the concepts of Failure and Success for my Thrive inspired Today I Failed At Facebook page, I stumbled upon a reoccurring request for charisma. The conception of talent being the gatekeeper to a fruitful and lucrative life seems to have ossified into dogma, no matter the background or the prospects.
In my first article submission for the Huffington Post named "How Keeping A Today I Failed At Notebook Can Bring You Success", I encourage people to take Arianna Huffington's advice, redefine success and work for it. But how easy is it to follow- even your tailored-dreams, once success is inextricably bound to talent? What if you don't have the voice of an angel, you are not a math genius, you are not a business catalyst and you are simply not attractive? Are you doomed to live in the shadow of everyone who happens to fit in the mainstream depiction of a thriving individual or do you re-strategize?
In case there is still drive in you to address your insatiable need to shine regardless of setbacks, here are 5 things to keep in mind:
1) You will never win America's Got Talent. But don't get discouraged. While it is important to acknowledge which doors are locked forever, no one forbids you from building new bridges. You are allowed to dismiss every talent scout you meet and establish your own kind of craftsmanship
2) Not every opinion deserves to be devastated over. If an art teacher claims your paintings have nothing to say, don't dignify his attack with a life grounding compromise. No matter how established or celebrated he might be, when it comes to art, always place instincts over authority
3) Technology defies censorship. Use every app development platform, every blog and every research tool you have access to, to bring your concepts into life. Bypass the mediators and talk to your audience
4) You Only Live Once. Stop judging every pop-culture reference you see on your timeline and start cashing its golden advice. All trending hashtags are trending for a reason. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. So #goforit
5) Get mad, don't get sad. Whenever an authoritative figure bans you off their premises of expertise, remember that your value in life is tantamount. You were both born and you will both die someday. Every human is entitled to the volume of sacrifice other humans made in their name. Would you surrender to patronizers if you knew that someone died for your freedom? Or would you claim what is yours?
The perception of talent being fortune is unquestionable. It proves great uniqueness which, in turn, leads to great opportunity. Giving up on a talent hunting habit means giving up on a motivating life dynamic. The key to success however, is not to fit into machine cut boxes of pre-existing talent. It is to follow Huffington's lead and redefine preconceived notions. Don't find your talent: craft your talent.
To learn more about the Today I Failed At movement, click hereTo contact me, email spyropoulosdaphne@gmail.com
