Why Talent Won’t Get You Anywhere Fastfeatured

I believe we are all born with great purpose. Whether your purpose is to change the world with your art or desire to care for others, we are all born with that voice that lets us know we were put on this earth to do something great.

While growing up I honetly thought that talent could get you anywhere you wanted to go. Every book I read and every movie I watched let me know that if you just “follow your dreams” everything else will figure itself out.

While we were given great gifts to share with the world, talent wont necessarily generate income and/or success in the long run. Yes, it is defintely a fond ideal taught from childhood, but in adulthood it takes more than just talent to fuel an entire career or generate any sort of change.

I watched one of the greatest bands of all time last night, The Who. The singer, Roger Daltrey, let us know that their infamous drummer, Keith Moon (who died at 32), was extremely talented but ended up spending more time “under the drumset” rather than playing it.

This statement was extremely deep. Moon was one of the greatest drummers of all time. His talent was unparalleled but he quickly spun out of control. He died of an overdose but was self-destructing years before his final farewell. He was known for passing out on stage, breaking drum sets and spending money he simply did not have. He liked showing off at all costs and it eventually all caught up with him.

Moon was a great success but for a very short amount of time. Does this mean his talent wasted away? Does this mean his talent simply wasn’t enough to keep him from destroying himself?

I don’t have any of these answers but I do know that I am saddened when young talent dies. It breaks my heart that they had so much more to give the world but simply didn’t. They never found a way to escape themselves.

I have talent, you have talent, we all have special gifts. Talent and insanity can be all in the same. Some writers become angry hermits and some artists cut off their ears. Either way, I think the only type of talent that can truly get you anywhere is talent accompanied by conscious action, clear goals, dedication and a serious commitment to follow-through.

Many talented people have died at a young age. Their success was so shortlived that I often feel like their fleeting success taught us little about what it truly means to be successful. When you have such talent running through your veins but your greatest enemy is forever yourself, it is safe to say your talent will get you nowhere fast.

Be careful with your talent. Treasure it, but most importantly treasure yourself. Set clear goals for yourself, take conscious action every day toward those goals, dedicate your life and commit to sharing your talent with the world for as many years as possible.

Don’t look at it like a sprint but look at it like the greatest marathon of your life. Like Sylvia Plath said, “Perhaps when we find ourselves wanting everything, it is because we are dangerously close to wanting nothing.”

Love Deeply and Forever,

Karen