Talents and Gifts

Monday, August 25, 2014

Talents and gifts

Wishing you a happy Monday and may your Mondays always be filled with hope and expectations of great things happening.

I was in my thirties before I learned that a parable in the New Testament of the Bible about talents was not a reference to natural abilities and gifts but that talents were actually measurements of money in those days. In my forties when I got employed in the financial services industry this parable took on a even more interesting meaning for me. In the financial services industry I learned that money grows effectively at 10% per year. Therefore if money is invested at this rate after seven years the principal will double.
This parable in the Bible today would go something like this. An employer was going out of town for some time so he called his employees and gave them some money to invest. He gave to one $500,000.00, to another $200,000.00 and to the third $100,000.00. He gave to each according to their ability. The first and second invested and doubled the money they got but the third kept his securely at home to return it to his employer. After seven years the employer returned and checked on his employees to see how well they had done.
The man in this story had he made the attempt he  could have found an institution and invested the money he got at 10% and at the end of the seven years he too would have doubled his money with far less effort and risk than the other two.

On the matter of gifts and talents when I was young I envied the popularity and praise others got for their gifts and talents because I was made to understand that I did not possess any. Later in life  I became the envy of others because I possessed no gifts and talents but I managed to get so much done. My secret was that I was willing to learn and to try.

There are three things that are common to every man. They are thoughts, dreams and opportunities. On average we have two thoughts per minute, it is a pity to let all go to waste. Everyone has a dream of something he would like to do or achieve, this could be the foundation to start something. Opportunity in one form or another comes to every man, do not wait for something big but capitalize on the small. Once work is begun on any of these three there will be natural offshoots.
If what you consider doing  seem too big then this is a good sign because easy or immediate success mean that the task or challenge was not big enough. success only comes after failure.

This week put in a little extra in whatever you do. It may be five, ten or fifteen minutes or maybe an hour. Remember the effort you put in will determine the result you get.

"A bird in hand....."

"A bird in hand is worth two in the bushes" . This is a proverb that I grew up hearing ever so often to emphasize that it is better to settle for the little that is sure than risk what is sure with the hope of gaining what is big because there is always the possibility of ending up with nothing at all. The reality is that risk taking is not for everyone because loss to one person is reason for depression and suicide while it is for another person a source of joy to pursue the challenge
If what a person has is enough to provide satisfaction why risk it for the uncertain. The answer lies in a desire to rise above the status quo,  being different by not conforming and the desire to pursue a dream. The status quo enforces uniformity by discouraging creativity.
I am told that if I desire to succeed then I must follow the status quo. This is good advice but it makes me no different from anyone else and ensures that I will never reach the top. At the top is enshrined the elite that set the agenda of the status quo and decides who joins the ranks of those at the top.
It is because things are controlled by the status quo why we need dreamers because sometime giving up the bird that is in the hands pays off and the two in the bushes is had instead. This may not be for everyone but since life comes with no surety who know what may happen if the bird in hand is released. If I tenaciously grasp the little that I see how do I gain the big possibility?
This week take some chances do some crazy things and be prepared to laugh at yourself when things go wrong.

The supernatural and the miraculous

My wish as always is for you to have a happy Monday.

A sudden outpouring of the supernatural or miraculous may swamp it's recipient. Very few of us make adequate preparations for these although it is the desire of most of us that these happen in our lives. The power for the supernatural and miraculous to happen already lies dormant in many of us.
The truth is that greatness lies latent in all of us but it may require some external force to release that greatness that is lying dormant in us. Too often we expect the miraculous and supernatural to happen in a moment when it would be better for us if it happens over a period of time.
 Ask a grain farmer about the potential of a single grain if it planted in the ideal conditions for two years. A pig farmer will also tell you that under the right conditions more than a thousand pigs can be had from a single sow over a period of two years. Of course this will require replanting the grains and breeding each litter of pigs. The grain farmer may become overwhelmed if suddenly he finds himself with a huge amount of grains or if the pigs farmer if overnight he has a thousand pigs to deal with. If however they are working with the multiplying effect this allows for adjustments and plans to be made.
The same principle can be applied to dealing with our problems and pursing our dreams because once we begin the journey then getting thing done will become a habit and the multiplying effect will take place. Looking back after two years of getting things done while pursuing one's dreams such really reveal the supernatural and miraculous.

Secret weapon

My wish as always is for everyone to be having a happy Monday.

My other wish today is that everyone possess a secret weapon.I do not mean a weapon to cause hurt or injury  to another person. What I am talking about is a secret weapon to overcome obstacles and those things that would want to hinder or stop us from pursuing our dreams. Life is of such that it continually throws in our way obstacles and things over which we have no control. I am now meeting persons who are implying that I should envy them because they have reached the point in their life where they are set for the rest of their life and they will be happy for the rest of their life.  The percentage of such persons are so small that they are not worth mentioning anyway. The majority of us continue to constantly face challenges and would love to find out how to adequately deal with these uncontrollable circumstances and obstacles.
On the matter of secret weapons I recall how I have seen some natural obstacles dealt with.
   1. level it down with heavy equipments. What was though was a small hill was really a natural hill made out solid earth and not rock so the heavy equipments were brought in and it was leveled and trucked away. Soon there was no trace of the hill.
    2.  Cut through it. This was a hill solid rock and what was needed was a way through so the heavy equipments were brought in and a way cut through the rocks. The tall cliffs told the tale of what was done.
   3.  Tunnel through. The obstacle remained but a way was tunneled through.

There is always the option to find another or more suitable site. To go around or over the obstacle or let the obstacle remain. If the obstacle remain it will always be the cause of problems and this is why we need a secret weapon to remove obstacles in our paths and deal with uncontrollable situatons in life.
In each of us lies a secret power that is comparable to heavy equipment but it is up to each of us to call upon and utilize the secret power that reside in us.