As I sit here today I wonder if too many of us make the wrong choices in life. For example... we choose to develop our talents and neglect our needs.
When I was growing up we were always assessed on our talents. If you showed even the slightest signs of a budding talent you were rushed off into a "special group". These groups were formed to ensure that you optimised your talent. For example... if you had fine motor skills and some flexibility you were promptly enrolled in a gym class. If you were agreeable in those gym classes you were put into local, regional, and national competitions. Before you could say "abracadabra" you were off to an international competition as the first step towards your first Olympic appearance. At this stage you are heading for the gold medal rounds of competition.
Meanwhile your needs as a child, teenager, and adult are being suppressed. What you need to become a rounded adult is left on the sideboard. What you feel about your talent, and the pursuit of continuous improvement, is often ignored or derided. Your need for a general education becomes a low priority as you climbed and climbed your particular talent ladder. Finally... you have a gold medal which you never had any need for.
A life built on needs is one that leads a person to accept the ordinary and sometimes, just sometimes, to do extraordinary things. A life built on talent becomes a constant struggle to do the extraordinary when everything around you is ordinary.
Richard.
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