You do have talent.

What is talent? Is it the ability to pick up any instrument, tool, or skill, and be good at it? Why do so many people, when asked, deny their talent?

Allow me, dear readers, to present an analogy; a parable of sorts; a story of a person named Sunny – seemingly stuck in their home town. This town, named Comfort, was situated next to a major artery; a type of superhighway; a road very different in ways I will soon explain.

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Sunny was well known in Comfort and had an easy life there. Each morning Sunny would wake, read the newspaper, and visit the coffeeshop on the way to work. It felt that to do anything out of the ordinary would indeed, seem strange and surely garner talk.

Every afternoon, Sunny would walk to the frontage road bordering the highway; fingers hanging on the chainlink fence separating the town from the rest of the world. Sunny often wondered what wonders were to be found out there on the other side of the fence.

On that road were people coming and going at various speeds, as this was not your normal highway. Some lanes were traveled at high speeds while other other lanes were there to casually stroll along – allowing anyone who chose to travel that road to do so at their own pace. There were people of all sorts: musicians, poets, painters, and writers. There were people starting their own businesses, inventors, and others who were just wandering back and forth looking for inspiration. Sunny could see that some were on their way to the mountains for a weekend of camping and relaxation, while others were certainly headed to “the big city” to reinvent themselves and to start a new life. Sunny would often wave at these travelers, and chat with them through the fence.

“What’s it like out there?” Sunny would call out. “Someday I’d like to walk along this road, but there is this fence here that keeps me in Comfort – this town I grew up in – and besides, I’d hate to leave it. All my friends are here.”

“This road goes both ways, and in all directions,” a passerby answered. “You can travel on it as far as you want, and come back anytime. There is no toll, and as you can see – you can travel at any speed you want. My name is Grace – won’t you walk with me for awhile?”

“I’d like to,” answered Sunny “but there is this fence and I am afraid I don’t have the tools needed to cut it or dig under it. And it’s too high to climb…”

“You don’t have to cut it, or go under or over it,” said Sunny’s new friend, Grace. “It’s actually very easy – follow me and I’ll show you how.”

Grace led Sunny along the chainlink fence separating them until they came to the opening where the on and off ramps were located. Sunny had never noticed it before.

Grace smiled and said, “You can come and go as you please – it’s that easy.”

“Does anyone else know about this?” Sunny asked in amazement.

“I’ve shown this to lots other people just like you,” Grace replied. “But some people don’t believe me and won’t step over. Come – let’s go.”

Sunny stepped towards Grace and asked, “Where do we go? What do we do?”

“Anywhere you want,” she replied. “This is the path to learning. On this path you can try out everything imaginable. And there are no limits – you can do anything!”

“Won’t I be different when I come back?” Sunny asked. “What will people think?”

“You will indeed, be different,” Grace answered “but you needn’t be concerned with that. Many people won’t even notice, and those that do may be inspired by what they see. You can show them the opening in the fence.”

As Sunny and Grace walked together, eyes wide open and eager for discover, Sunny asked, “By the way – what is the name of this road?”

Grace spoke and simply said, “This road is called ‘Talent.’ “

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And so, dear readers, I leave you with this thought:

Talent isn’t being able to pick up any instrument and play it, or being able to write a great story, or knowing how something works. Talent is simply the willingness to step over that invisible line that seeks to keep us where we are. Talent is to know that we can try new things with or without any particular outcome; to choose whether or not to continue along a given path. Talent is not something to have or have not – it is a muscle we all have and can be exercised. Talent is to know, that although we may return a bit different, our home town of Comfort will have grown and will still be there for us.