Would
you like to capitalize on your talents this year? Are you tired of
doing things that bore or grate against you? Are there visions and
dreams that call to you? Will the universe support you if you follow
your spirit?
The
beginning of a new year is a perfect time to take stock of your
talents. What comes easily and naturally to you? What would you do even
if you weren’t getting paid for it? What do people compliment you for?
These are all clues to your talent. This year don’t bury your talent or
hide it under a basket. It’s why you’re here.
Many
years ago a young Kansas City artist struggled to get his cartoons
published in city newspapers. His offerings, however, were met with
rejection after rejection. “Forget it,” editors told him. “You have no
talent. Get a real job.” But the artist felt that he did have talent and he refused to compromise his career.
Finally
the artist found himself holed up in a mice-infested garage, penniless.
Bored, he began to sketch his environment, especially one little mouse
who ran back and forth on his window sill. Over time the artist made
friends with the rodent and the two developed a relationship. He named
the mouse “Mickey.”
The
artist was Walt Disney, and you know the rest of the story. Disney went
on to establish the most expansive entertainment empire in the world,
with amusement parks spanning the globe, major film and television
companies, and countless spinoff products. Over the years Walt, Mickey,
and their entertainment progeny have provided limitless joy for hundreds
of millions of children and their families. If you have every visited
one of the Disney parks or watched Disney films or television, you can
thank Walt Disney for trusting his talent.
A
more modern wayfarer, Cesar Millan grew up poor in Mexico in a house
with no running water. Young Cesar was shy and unpopular, and other kids
made fun of him because he spent time with dogs; they laughingly
calling him “El Perrero,”or “dog boy.” In 1990 at age 21 Cesar crossed
the border into the U.S. as an illegal immigrant, paid for by his
father’s $100 investment in his son’s better future. Speaking no
English, homeless, and penniless, Millan walked the streets and hung out
in a park. There Millan befriended people walking their dogs and helped
them improve their pets’ behaviors. Eventually Cesar got a job in a dog
grooming shop, where he helped tame an aggressive Cocker Spaniel. The
owners liked him and gave him a key to the store so he could get off the
streets and have a place to sleep and shower.
Millan moved to Los Angeles, where he worked hard in a car wash. The owner gave him a van to start a mobile dog training business. Cesar met actress Jada Pinkett (who later became actor Will Smith’s wife) and helped her with her dog. Pinkett was so impressed that she introduced Cesar to her Hollywood friends and paid for him to get a tutor for a year to improve his English. In 2004 the National Geographic Channel gave Cesar Millan his own television show, which became a hit and fueled his worldwide reputation as “The Dog Whisperer.” Millan’s show, broadcast in 80 countries, has spawned five bestselling books, a line of pet products, several dog sanctuaries, and generous charity donations.
One
has to wonder what the world would be like without the gifts bestowed
by Walt Disney, Cesar Millan, and Stephen Jobs, who quit college to
design fonts, and eventually built the Apple empire. Do you believe you
have less to offer than them? You may not be interested or destined to
build an empire, but you can build a kingdom of heaven raising your
child, waitressing in a restaurant, or helping the elderly. God has
given everyone a unique talent to serve and find reward, including you.
This year don’t bury your talents. Let them shine, and the universe will support you in wondrous ways.
http://www.alancohen.com/
