Often with strangers you talk about quite personal things and end up having an enjoyable conversation. With regularity I have these great chats. I am surprised by what people tell me – their most intimate secrets are shared. The one thing that does stand out for me though in these conversations is how little people are willing to settle for in their life. They always seem to be interested in what I do and to hear about the books I have written and the type of work I am involved in, in New York and Adelaide. Their eyes are wide open when I tell them about my goals for the next five years and what I have achieved over the past six.
I have had a number of these conversations with one particular person – we seem to bump in to each with regularity. It is clear that he is a gifted musician and I had the privilege of hearing him play at a venue in the Port. Wow – he was fantastic – music from the Gods. Not surprisingly he had an audience around him – all ages and they were just standing there with their eyes glued to the incredible sounds emanating. I stood there in absolute amazement, this person is brilliant. He has never been taught music, he cannot read or write it yet he plays like something I have never quite heard before.
I know that he would go far, in fact I believe he is right up-there with the Paul McCartney’s of the world; such is his gift. He always enjoys hearing about what I have done and where I am heading because it helps him to get his world in order and to make sense of what is happening around him. I have pondered over our conversations many times, his gifts, and something bothers me. He has absolutely no idea how brilliant he is – it has not even entered his radar – he never says a nice word about himself. He has played since he was five: oh, by the way he is also a gifted artist. To him, he is nothing special; he just does what he loves yet he is not happy because he cannot get to the next level. He would love to be able to support himself with it but he doesn’t know how he can do that.
The world is full of these stories and it is tragic. I am sure if you really think about it you will relate to it in some way. I have only ever met a few people who are grounded, know that they have a gift and celebrate it. Most people with a gift seem to shun it, think it is normal (can’t everyone do this!) and there is nothing special about them. On the other hand, some people are full-of-themselves and know they are clever but are pains in the neck. Humility and confidence is what is needed and the knowledge that it is important to be proud of ‘your gift’, whatever it is and be able to clearly identify it. Everyone has gifts – the hardest thing is to find the first one and then to work with it so that it does bring you the rewards you want and deserve in this life.
Source: Merydith Willoughby