talent

After watching the NHL All-Star SuperSkills competition last night, I was reminded of a couple of things:

1. I was reminded why hockey is the best spectator sport and why their all-star weekend surpasses that of all other sports. I prefer the SuperSkills to MLB's Home Run Derby, NBA's Dunk Contest (and other events) or NFL's skills competition (by far the weakest).

2. I was reminded how untalented I am when it comes to hockey. I have no clue how those guys do half the things they do. From the accuracy shooting to Zdeno Chara's 105.9 mph slap-shot to the speed skating around the rink. They absolutely amaze me.

This got me thinking about talent. I think everyone has at least one thing at which they are talented. This is due in part to the fact that there is such a wide array of talents. There are many things that many people of capable of doing, but they aren't necessarily areas of talent for them. Let me give you an example.

Photography. Who doesn't own a camera, digital camera or cell phone with a built-in camera? Answer: Not many people. Everyone loves to take photographs. Facebook, blogs and other such websites create an ideal forum for people sharing photos. People put up pictures that look good and when people comment on how good they look, they take such pride in it.

I have recently posted numerous pictures of my baby Genevieve on my Facebook. I try to take shots that look cute and post them with such pride. People have even commented on how nice some of the pics are. I had one that I was favoring as a great daddy-daughter photo. Then my friend Cathy came over to do a baby photo shoot. She's gone to school for photographer. She's a photographer...like, the real deal. Her knack for finding a great position and manipulating lighting and coming from the perfect angle amazes me. She posted some preview photos on her website (clpop.com: see for yourself...they're amazing!). The daddy-daughter photo she created (I choose the word "created" because her work is truly art) blew my mind. She has an eye for photography that the average person doesn't have. That's talent.

I believe that all talent comes naturally and innately. In order to develop that talent and allow it to reach it's full potential, one must study and practice and hone that talent. But you're either born with it or your not. For example, no matter how many voice lessons I went to, I would never be able to sing well. Talent is something that comes naturally. On the other hand, someone could have a great voice, but without lessons and proper training, it will never reach its full potential.

I like to think that one of my talents (or maybe, my only talent) is writing. I don't think I'm the best writer that's ever graced this planet, but I know that it's something that comes very naturally to me and typically I receive compliments for it. I'm not trying to be vain here, so please don't get me wrong. My point is that everyone has a talent. If you think you are the one person who doesn't, you're wrong. If you're not sure what your talent is, do a little soul searching and work toward discovering it. That's the reason I have this blog...