THE EFFICACY OF TALENTS

"And unto one he gave five talents..."

See Matthew 25: 14 - 30

I was watching a documentary about Christopher Wallace a.k.a. Notorious B. I. G. yesterday and despite being a die-hard Tupac Shakur fan, I came to the realization that in the senseless feud that raged between both rap icons which ultimately claimed both their lives, Tupac was the antagonist.

That's by the wayside.

What struck me however was how both uncommonly talented rappers in the rap game wielded so much power that they were able to influence with ease, hip hop culture and stir up emotions of love, adoration and hate. There was hardly any hip hop head who wasn't forced to take sides. I chose Tupac.

That is the power of a well-developed talent.

A talent is simply a special natural ability or skill inherent in every human.

Growing up, my skills inclined towards the arts. The talent that stood out then was my drawing skill and it was so obvious because I was a comic book addict. I still am.

However, it was heavily frowned upon by my father. In the way he saw the world at that time, art would lead me nowhere. The norm was to study a professional course and get a government job, and being an obedient child most of the time, I succumbed.

This myopic world view eventually led to the gradual demise of my interest in drawing; something I regret deeply everyday. True, there was no encouragement but the greatest mistake I made was to AGREE to follow the norm as I was indoctrinated.

I pursued my academics with fervor believing that I would at the end of the day, get a civil service job just like my father. My talent became a stranger as the economics of the nation spiraled downward, making certain expectations a mirage but I kept on going.

Fortunately, I found another way. I still draw but my tools are different. I no longer use pencils and paint; I use words.

Today, there are many youths out there who went through the same experience I did. We were taught to put all our eggs in one basket. We were made to hope for jobs instead of creating jobs. This orientation choked our creativity and stunted our growth as individuals and as a nation.

With our laid-back attitude, we missed the formula for progress on an individual basis; Talent + Passion = Success.

Today, capitalism has proved to be the recipe for vibrant economic development. It is deep-rooted in the entrepreneurship spirit that unfortunately, did not form part of our education while growing up.

In developed countries, emphasis is given to creative and entrepreneural development as well as qualitative education, matched with hands on experience. These ingredients could not help but lead to increased competence and healthy competition that aided economic productivity and growth.  

In Nigeria, we lost focus as emphasis was placed on worthless piece of papers called certificates which invariably led to lazy brains and hands. This ailment slowly crept into minds and lives of many and today, the resultant effects are staggering.

As Nigeria sluggishly and laboriously shifts in the direction capitalism, it is pertinent to emphasize the need to desensitize and re-orient our mentality, especially that of the young and up-coming generations from parasitic expectations to symbiotic realities.

Every person must make it a personal mission to discover, nurture and develop their in-born talents. We must bring back our creativity from the dusty attic, oil them and shift to hyper drive. No matter how much talents may be similar or vary, they are our contributions which are key to our development.

You want to make a difference in this world, develop your talent. Talents are not to be wasted; they are means to advancing humanity and specifically, the black race which is lagging behind in the world today in all respects.  

Imagine a world where Michael Jackson was a lawyer, where Tupac was a doctor and Christoper Wallace, an engineer. They would have come and gone the same way many lawyers, doctors, engineers and other professionals have come and gone without leaving their footprints in the sands of time.

How many talents were you given? Will you be like the foolish servant who went and hid his in the earth? Do you remember what became his lot when his master returned?

Let us be wise. Africa has been given talents. You have been given at least, a talent. What are you doing with it? The change you seek will not come if we don't make use of that which lies within us.

Malcolm O. Ifi.

Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN

MISTAKES ARE GOOD. MAKE ONE TODAY!

Hehehehe...I got your attention, didn't I? Of course I did. However, I must inform you that the intent of today's topic is not to merely get your attention like those other attention-grabbing headlines you see on other blogs or newspapers.

This should get your attention because of the inherent paradox but going further, you realise that your attention is being drawn to the truth. The topical assertion above is nothing short of the whole truth and nothing but the truth.  

What are mistakes then, you may wonder? A mistake is simply an action or judgment that is misguided or wrong. It is an error or fault resulting in defective judgment, deficient knowledge or carelessness.  

From the above definition, I must issue out a disclaimer; mistakes are only good for people who DECIDE to make it good for them. The conscious choice or decision to move forward as a much wiser person in that specific erroneous regard is what makes all the difference.

In other words, I'm talking of those who don't just stay focused on the immediate consequences of their mistakes but focus on the useful lessons learned which hold the key to achieving the desired results after subsequent tries.

Take for instance Thomas Alva Edison, the American inventor. After several failed attempts at inventing the electric light bulb, he was asked what he thought about his failure to create a light bulb, he said, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." He went on to create the electric light bulb.  

Mistakes are a very necessary part of an active existence. A person who has never made a mistake has never done anything and has never learned anything. For this reason, you should never be shy or scared about making a mistake. A friend of mine once told me, "You never lose money; you buy lessons." Lessons learned from mistakes that costs you something dear are those that stick.  

Every mistake should be a voyage of discovery. Mistakes can be embarrassing but its better to suffer the embarrassment that comes from mistakes than suffer the consequence of sustained ignorance borne out of the fear of making mistakes.  

You must configure your mind-set to shed all fear of mistakes, though costly they may be. Never let the fear of making a mistake keep you from taking that step. Do your homework, venture into that which you seek to do and take lessons from whatever mistakes you make and venture into it again and again(persistence is key), armed with the experience and knowledge gathered from previous mistakes.  

There's nothing you can't do if you set your heart to it. Just appreciate your mistakes for what they are; learning the hard way and most times, learning the hard way is the best way. So go ahead and make that mistake...and be sure to learn from it! :)

Malcolm O. Ifi.

Photo Credits: The Simpsons