Talent is Only a Starting Point for Success: You’ve Got to Keep Working That Talent!

If you have a unique gift or an unparalleled talent for doing something, then you’ll definitely be recognized and distinguished from the rest of the flock. In fact that gift of yours could place you on top of other people and give you a great advantage that might last for a very very long time to come. BUT talent is only a starting point in any business. You’ve got to keep working that talent! A song writer, Irving Berlin, understood the truth behind the words in a statement attributed to him when he said: “The toughest thing about success is that you’ve got to keep on being a success”. After gloriously climbing to the top, and reaching that enviable peak, if you lose focus and slack, other serious people who are steadfast would soon fly ahead of you.

One of the greatest writers in recorded history, Stephen Kings, once said: “Talent is cheaper than table salt. A lot of hard work is what distinguishes a talented individual from a successful one”. The truth is that if you observe the lifestyle of hardworking people, you will also see a glimpse of hard work in many other aspects of their private life. You must have come across certain people who should have risen to the top, but they didn’t; they were in possession of all the talent a man could ever want, but they ended up NOT succeeding. Their talent made them to stand out, but their lack of integrity made them sit on the ground. Meanwhile, the hardworking nature of another category of people — who were once at the bottom of the ladder — made a way for them to overtake those at the forefront and reach the top. The families, mentors, friends and bosses of fallen stars often see their (fallen stars) talent or giftedness but wonder why they keep falling short of expectations. At the starting point, their talent opened up doors for them, but the wrong choices they made and their lack of having integrity shut the same doors that once opened.

If you take time to consider the character and talent of Nehemiah in the Christian Bible, you’ll notice that he rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem’s within two months! It was actually an outstanding feat to achieve in that era of history: read further and notice how Nehemiah’s character and integrity stood out. While many of his peers indulged in fattening their pockets – by lending money at extremely exorbitant rates (which people couldn’t repay), he cautioned them to do the right thing so that the favor of God would come on their nation (read Nehemiah 5:9). Furthermore, he said: “I did not act that way. I rather devoted myself towards completing the construction of the wall” (Nehemiah 5:15–16). More chapters in Nehemiah point at the character of the greedy merchants, which was found wanting, and their talent and business lost appeal and success at the same time. If you want to develop an attractive character and maintain success, do what is right and just as you keep on working out your talent.