YOU CAN BE SUCCESSFUL:
LEARN HOW TO GROW YOUR TALENTS
When we were kids, my
brother told me he could look into one of my ears and see out the other. Then I
had an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) of my brain so I could do a firsthand
story on the latest technology. I
started the newspaper article with “My brother was wrong. There is something in
there.” New brains have fantastic
stored data and instincts governing our neurological systems, and amazing
things are happening while we’re still in the womb.
Experts now are saying we might be developing our talents and
language before birth. In a famous experiment by Anthony DeCasper and
colleagues at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, mothers read the
Dr. Seuss story, The Cat in the Hat,
at regular intervals while they were pregnant. Newborns selected the reading
they liked by sucking on a non-nutritive nipple. After a few trials, babies
cleverly sucked at whatever speed was necessary to obtain their mother's voice
reading "The Cat in the Hat."
Nevertheless, we needed
outside stimuli to use our potential. Children who are given no attention often
don’t learn to sit, walk, or talk. We learn all our lives,
often imitating other people. No matter how much natural talent and ability we
have, we will never achieve much until we grow it into something greater. When you listen to a famous
person use their talents, think about how the celebrity achieved fame. Success is always wrapped
in what people do every day.
Consider the Jonas Brothers. Nicholas Jonas started
memorizing lines and acting at age seven. His brothers joined him in music and
performance. Before they toured and sold millions of albums they spent hours
and hours developing their talents. Then they studied, practiced, and rehearsed
some more.
They had goals in mind, believed God was with them,
and developed their talents through trial and error, lessons, practice, study,
work, practice, and more practice.
Talent is like a diamond; it isn't beautiful until
it's polished.
Music isn’t
the only gift God can use greatly. Hundreds of careers are available, and
sometimes God surprises us with how He uses talent.
Will Kellogg, the younger brother of Dr. John
Kellogg, in the nineteenth century left a pot of boiled wheat to stand, and the
wheat softened. The brothers worked at a charity and didn’t want to waste food,
so they rolled the wheat and let it dry, hoping they could make it edible.
When the rolled wheat dried, each grain became a
large, tasty flake. The brothers kept experimenting with other grains and
discovered corn flakes.
Ask God to
help and direct your life. Then decide what talents to develop and get to work
Then, don't quit. Often it is the less
talented and gifted who achieve great things because they won’t stop working
toward their goals—no matter how many obstacles they face or how often they
face rejection or disappointment. On the other hand, greatly talented people
can go to their graves without doing anything of significance.
What makes the difference?
We decide to take
what we were born with and grow it into something greater.
Imagine the future you. Let
God lead you. Your work will be rewarded.
©Ada Brownell January 2014
~~
Ada Brownell, a
devoted Bible student, has written for Christian publications since age 15 and
spent much of her life as a reporter for The
Pueblo Chieftain in Colo. After moving to Springfield, MO in her
retirement, she continues to free lance for Sunday school papers, Christian
magazines, write op-ed pieces for newspapers, and write books with
stick-to-your-soul encouragement. She is critique group leader of Ozarks
Chapter of American Christian Writers and a member of American Christian
Fiction Writers.
Among her books:
Imagine the Future You, a youth Bible
study (November 2013). Joe the Dreamer:
The Castle and the Catapult, (Jan. 15, 2013); Swallowed by Life: Mysteries of Death, Resurrection and the Eternal, (Dec.
6, 2011); and Confessions of a
Pentecostal, out of print but released in 2012 for Kindle; All the books
are available in paper or for Kindle.
Twitter:
@adellerella
Blog: http://inkfromanearthenvessel.blogspot.com
Stick to Your Soul Encouragement
Amazon Ada Brownell author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001KJ2C06
IMAGINE THE FUTURE YOU
By Ada Nicholson Brownell
FREE January 25 AND 26
Will you be the
person you dream of being—or someone from your nightmares?
You don’t need a
fortune teller to reveal your future. You are the person who determines who you
will be, what your life will be like, and how your hopes and dreams will be fulfilled.
This book will
show how to make the right connections, how to grow your talents, and how to
begin believing in yourself and things greater than yourself—for a wonderful
Future You!
A Bible study available in paper or for
Kindle http://www.amazon.com/dp/1489558284
Ada Brownell’s author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001KJ2C06
3 comments:
Enjoyed this post, Ada, with examples from the lives of those who stepped out and allowed God to use them to accomplish worthwhile things.
It's so true that we have to develop and work very hard on our talent to succeed. Thanks for this post and the encouragement that it had. It was very enjoyable.
Thanks for stopping by, Erin! Great post by Ada on growing our talents.
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