The Gift 🎁

 What’s Your Value?

    Sounds like a simple question. In reality, it is. Simply put, what is your value that you bring to the table? What is it that you offer, which separates you from the pack? Being able to answer this simple question is the first, most basic step of truly becoming who you are meant to be.

    Understanding what it is we both enjoy and are good at, will help us move downstream towards creating a specific product or service. Being able to identify the things which make us tick, which make us interested, helps provide the fuel for the path we intend on walking. Once we are able to identify said path, the practice of our skills and interests will help you develop into something greater.

    How many people do you know, who seem to be naturally talented? How many individuals have you met, which have a specific art, and are simply leagues ahead? For myself personally, I have met plenty. From playing hockey, to hanging out with artists and musicians- the list is limitless. Everywhere you go, everywhere you travel, you are bound to meet individuals who are capable of extraordinary things. So the question becomes a simple one- why don’t all of them become successful?

    Success is the practice of repetition. The ability to constantly performing your craft, improving over and over again. Throughout time, the practice of said craft will slowly begin to improve itself, to the point where it becomes nothing more than second nature. Even when one has plateaued and no longer believes it possible to improve- they push forward ever more, attempting to achieve something now. The continuous practice and work towards improvement is what allows an individual to truly separate themselves from the crowd.

    From my experience, some of the most talented individuals are not those who always succeed. In fact, I would almost argue that those who are given a gift, often misuse it. They often become complacent with their skills, and believe that there is nothing else to learn. They accept the position of their hierarchy, and simply make do with what they have. More often than not, those who are extremely talented, never make it to the top 1% of their craft.

    The reason? Simple. They forget the basics. They ignore the age-old process of practice. They quit the grind, surrendering to leaning solely on their talent. They no longer put the blood, sweat and tears into their craft. While on the other hand, those who are born with half as much talent, continuously practice every single day. They continue to push through, no matter their schedules. They arise early, and begin their craft. They sleep late, perfecting it. They push themselves beyond all previous measures, in order to make sure that they are squeezing the most out of their time as humanly possible.

    One of the greatest examples I have seen, throughout my life, comes from playing hockey. The constant meeting and player with other extremely talented players, who simply seem to be born with a talent. These players are the skilled individuals, who seem to have been born with a stick in their hands. There was nothing they could not do with the puck, creating plays and simply providing magic for their teams, whenever the need arrived. Those who would show up, out of nowhere, and win a game single-handedly because they felt like finally showing up and performing at their max.

    Yet out of all the players I have met, who seem to share this talent- and believe me, there are a ton- almost none of them ever make it professionally. Almost none of these gifted, talented players, become real game-changers in the highest levels. Why is that? Why is it that somebody who was born with magic, cannot reach the top 1% of their craft?

    The answer was simple- They did not practice. They did not work at it. They did not show up every single day, and push their limits. They simply showed up once every two or three days, did what they already knew how to do, then went home. They partied. They travelled. They chased after women. They constantly were out trying to achieve something else, instead of working on their craft. 

    In the end, time catches up to everybody. These players who had the opportunity to make the big leagues, all settled for less. They accepted the dream as simply that- a dream- and settled for a life of mediocracy. The prospect of working towards a goal, every single day, was lost within their heads.

Find your value. Find what it is you are gifted at. Mess around. Discover something new.

Push your limits.

And once you discover your gift- Go All-In.