“Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.”  - Author, Stephen King

Many years ago, a person that I know said something about talent that has stuck in my mind. He said that all of us have been created with equal ability to become unequal.

The truth is, we are not all created with the same level of talent. Some of us have a sharper ear for music. Some of can add columns of numbers in our heads. As individuals, we all have unique abilities. But there’s one thing we all have in equal measure. We all have the ability to use, or not use, the talents we’ve been given.

There’s an old story about a wealthy ranch owner and talents. Although talents in this story actually represent an ancient unit of money, the story works equally well if we use the modern meaning of the word. 

As the story goes, the wealthy ranch owner was preparing for a business trip. He knew he’d be gone for a lengthy period. Prior to leaving, he decided to assign a portion of his wealth to three of his key ranch-hands. To the first, he entrusted five talents. To the second, he delegated two talents. To the third, he assigned one talent. As he was leaving, the ranch owner instructed all three to wisely use what they had been given.

When the ranch owner returned a year later, he called all three ranch-hands together to see how well they had done with the talents entrusted to them.

When he learned that the ranch-hand to whom he’d assigned five talents had used those talents to produce five more, he was pleased. He said, “Well done. Because you have used your talents and done so wisely, I will give you more.”

The second ranch-hand also used the two talents assigned to him wisely. The owner was once again pleased.

Finally, the ranch owner turned to third ranch-hand and asked how he had done with his talent. The third ranch-hand was proud to report. He was certain the owner would be impressed. He said, “Since you only gave me one talent, I was especially careful not to lose it. That is why I put it away for safekeeping.” The third ranch-hand retrieved the “good-as-new” talent from its hiding place and gave it back to the owner.

Imagine the third ranch-hand’s surprise when the owner took that single talent from him and gave it to the ranch-hand who had ten talents already. The owner looked at the third ranch-hand with disappointment. “You lazy man,” he said. “The least you could have done was invested your talent at the bank. At least that way you’d have earned some return.”

We all begin with a different number of talents. But if we use the talent we have been given, we can increase our worth. As the person said to me so many years ago, we are all equally created with the ability to become unequal. This can only happen if we wisely and consistently use and develop he talents we have.

Too many talented people think their talents will keep them out front and ahead of others with fewer natural gifts. But look around and you will notice. It is not the people who are talented who succeed. It is those who work hard.

All three ranch-hands were given talent. Two used their talent and were rewarded with success. The third ranch-hand hid his talent and eventually lost everything.

When I think of unused talents, I think about Les Brown. As he reminds us, our cemeteries are full of books unwritten, inventions not pursued, successes not achieved, legacies left unfulfilled. This is all because, like the third ranch-hand in the story, people had talent but chose not to use it.

Call to Action:

1.     What talents are you recognized for possessing?

2.     Who are you more like -- the first two ranch-hands or the third?

3.     What are you currently doing to develop your talents?

4.     List two things you will commit to doing over the next year to wisely use and develop your talent?

“Develop the talent you have, not the one you want.”  - John C. Maxwell

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