Tweet

Why are you burying your talent?

Guest post by: Dan Miller

Article Overview: A miser, to make sure he controlled all his wealth, sold all that he had and converted it into a great lump of gold, which he hid in a hole in the ground. Then he repeatedly went to visit and inspect it. This roused the curiosity of one of his workmen, who, suspecting that there was a treasure, when his master’s back was turned, went to the spot, and stole it away. When the miser returned and found the place empty, he wept and tore his hair.

Why are you burying your talent?

A miser, to make sure he controlled all his wealth, sold all that he had and converted it into a great lump of gold, which he hid in a hole in the ground. Then he repeatedly went to visit and inspect it. This roused the curiosity of one of his workmen, who, suspecting that there was a treasure, when his master’s back was turned, went to the spot, and stole it away. When the miser returned and found the place empty, he wept and tore his hair.

But a neighbor who saw him in this extravagant grief, and learned the cause of it, said: “Fret thyself no longer, but take a stone and put it in the same place, and think that it is your lump of gold; for as you never meant to use it, the one will do you as much good as the other.”

Moral of the story: The worth of money is not in its possession, but in its use. —Aesop Fable, Sixth Century B.C.

The same is true of talents and abilities. Just knowing you have the ability means nothing. It is only in finding an application that there is any benefit for you or the world. What is the gold lump in your life that you have simply buried? That only you knows is there? Are you talented and broke? Do you have the “ability” to do something great but continue to do menial work? Talent and ability mean little unless you create a plan to engage those for a worthy purpose.

Mark Twain once said, “The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them.” In the same way, the person who has unapplied talent is no better off than the person who has no talent.

Related Articles
  Most of the Time Talent's Not Enough
  LEADERS LOVE FORMULA : TALENT+ EXECUTION.
  America’s Got Talent?
  Home Staging is More Practical Than a Buried Statue
  Diamonds in the Rough
  Talent Management - Is the Investment Worth It?
  Talent is Never Enough
  Organizational Talent You Need To Succeed
  In Search of a Marketing System
  The Soft Side of Managing Talent is About Making Hard Choices
  The overuse of "people" as competitive advantage
  A Few "Talent Lessons" from the Arts
  Building an Effective Talent Management System
  COMMUNITY WEB, INTERVIEW, JOB AND TALENT
  Expatriate Selection – The $1 Million Man (or Woman)
  It is All About the People
  What Are You Waiting For? The Time is Now: Claim Your Talent Advantage
  Finding and using your Talent with T.I.M.
  INDIAN LEADERSHIP SHOULD FOCUS ON…..
  Talent You Already Possess

Article Tags: 48days, books, career, dan miller, finding a job, future, job, no more mondays, passion, possession, read, reading, talent, wealth



Related Forum Posts
Re: Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. - I have seen this first hand and find It sad to see talent or gifted people waste their talents. Others with less talent can improve themselves with though hard work. Hard work alone is not enough, where possible, coaching can help them recognize where their weakness may lie and through work hard improve on that aspect of their talent. Discovery is often a necessary part being a talent. Wonder how many nights on the road covering 16 states, did i find great and entertaining talent singing at a local hangout
Re: Looking for partners to start career consulting business - Hi Mike, 1) I'm moving this to the Looking For section 2) I think a good start would be to seek out local, potential competing or related organizations/companies in your area. Universities, job centres, head hunters, HR professionals...etc. [quote:34k2gxrf]It will target professionals who want to start working at executives or higher level positions but lack necessary experience.[/quote:34k2gxrf] And I think it'll definitely help if you align your products/services with your target customer group. i.e. How do you plan to seek out this group? -------> Find the necessary talent that can accomplish this. i.e. Providing internship --------> Training in-house? Or training outsourced? Again, seek talent that aligns with your objectives. Break down what your business operations would be like, then seek the appropriate talent to cover that area. Of course, you don't want to give up too much equity by seeking out too many partners. Usually lower number of founders the more likely the start-up will survive. Good luck
$$$ - Money making is a talent. If used properly it can achieve desired results.
Animation software - What are the best software packages for creating things like animated navigation bars and gifs? And is it possible for someone with verrrrrry little if any artistic talent to create anything that looks good?
Re: What Do You Outsource Mostly? - I like to do some of my own coding and design, however I much prefer outsourcing the work. Most of the time you can find great talent for very reasonable costs. 99designs.com and elance.com Cheers


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Marketing & Sales tools – going back to basics

Are You Reaching Out?

4 Steps To Hypnotize Your Business Prospects

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.