I had the great pleasure of being interviewed recently as a guest expert for Sue Ann Gleason‘s Well-Nourished Woman Inner Circle. One of the things Sue Ann asked me about was the three complaints she hears from women when she asks them where creativity lives in their well-nourished lives.
For too many of them, that creativity is absent, and for one of the following reasons:
- No Talent
- No Purpose
- No Time
Each of these reasons is a lie. A story we tell ourselves out of fear, or programming, but with no basis in reality.
Let’s address them one at a time, shall we? I’ll devote one post a day to each of the lies above. Today we’ll start with…
Lie #1: No Talent
You believe you have no talent, and that’s why you won’t get creating? Sorry, but that’s not an acceptable excuse.
I believe that the concept of talent itself is a lie.
Oh, sure, we each come into the world with certain inborn facilities, but native “talent” can only get you so far. It takes time, effort, intention, persistence, and lots of hard work to shape a natural facility into excellence.
When I first picked up a calligraphy pen, I was “talented” for a beginning calligrapher, but the best work that I’ve created is miles ahead of what I was capable of creating from raw “talent” alone. If my calligraphy looked the same now as it did seventeen years ago, believe me, nobody would be calling me “talented!” I studied and practiced and worked and worked and worked to develop my skills with a pen.
Talent is a lie, because when we compliment someone for being talented, it feeds a story that you’ve either got it, or you don’t. “You’re so talented!” we say, and the unspoken corollary is, “and I’m not.”
Talent is a lie, because when we believe that your abilities are God-given and fixed, we stop trying. The praise of being “talented” fosters an unspoken fear that any risk we take will disprove those who so labeled us.
Talent is a lie, because our native facilities do not determine what we are capable of. Talent gives you a head start, but effort, determination, focus and persistence will win out over talent every time. (Click to tweet this.)
Talent is a lie, because joy comes not from mastery, but from pursuit of mastery. And more important, you don’t have to be a master to get joy from creating!
If you’re using “no talent” as your reason for not going after a creative desire, sorry, but you’re going to have to find a better excuse!
Click here to read about lie #2, No Purpose.
Meanwhile, to get your creative juices flowing and start deprogramming yourself of the “no talent” lie, sign up for my free (free!) Creative Sandbox 101 mini-course through Kickstart Your Change.
It’s five days of tools and prompts to get you playing in the Creative Sandbox just a teeny-tiny bit every day. (Plus everyone who registers will get a bonus coupon on the last day of Creative Sandbox 101 to get 30% off my 30-day Creative Ignition Kit through Monday, December 10).
PS — Pssst! Know someone who might benefit from seeing this today? Pass it on!
“I believe that the concept of talent itself is a lie.” Yes!
🙂