Making Effective Use of Your Talents

A talent is a God-given endowment bestowed on individuals; an innate ability that can be improved upon through constant practice, self-development and advice from mentors. Everyone on earth is blessed with at least one talent. Talents are of various types. To some, theirs is a talent of singing. Some, talent of writing and to a great number of people, it is acting. No talent is either inferior or superior to another. God gives in accordance to individual capacity. Its effectiveness is based on its appropriate use.
One thing about talent is that some could be given more than one. When this happens, we refer to such a person as a ‘man of many parts’.
Also, one thing must be noted about talents: through one’s talents, one could climb the ladder of success, fame, recognition, excellence, influence and stardom as well as standing aloft on the pedestal of financial independence and role modeling for several others who wish to attain such a lofty height. Little wonder, the Good Book says, ’’The gifts of a man opens door unto him’’. Examples of these abound in our national and international environments.
In the world’s football circles, the likes of three -time world’s Footballer of the Year, Argentina’s Lionel Messi, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, Brazilian‘s Ronaldinho ,Cameroun’s Samuel Etoo Fils, among other mercurial footballers are better examples of a good exploration of soccer talents. Also, Liberia’s and world’s renowned soccer star, George Opong Weah, remains the only African player that have won the coveted prize of the World Footballer of the Year in 1995-a record which remains unbroken since then. This was made possible through his soccer talent and prowess.

When talking about Africans who have written their names in gold on the world’s soccer scene. It would be a great disservice to ignore the exploits of Nigeria’s mercurial playmaker, who several other playmakers have attested to his unique soccer skills and talent-Austin Jay Jay Okocha, a man whose exit from the Nigerian national team has created a big vacuum that is obviously impossible to fill.

Also, African soccer history will be incomplete if the name of the young lad, who in 1996,single-handedly handed to the continent of Africa, its first Olympic gold in football, with his two superb goals in the semi-final match against the almighty Brazil-Kanu Nwankwo. He has, over the years, remains a phenomenon in the world and African football scenes. He remains the most-celebrated African player, with the following laurels to his credits: Most Decorated African footballer of All Time; Nigerian National Team Captain and Portsmouth Striker, whose two goals ,one each in both at the semi-final and final of the English FA Cup, won the trophy for Portsmouth, after 69 years; Two-Time African Footballer of the Year, Three-Time English F.A Winner; Dutch National League Winner;U-17 world Cup (Japan 1993),Olympic Gold Medalist(Atlanta 1996),role model as well the United Nation Peace Ambassador. All these laurels to his name are all products of Kanu’s better use of his football talents.
Similarly, comedy used to be a vocation that was hitherto greatly disdained by the society, tagging its practitioners unserious and lazy. However, the present crops of comedians have brought so much innovation, education and decorum, polishing it and changing societal perception about it as well as making a gold mine out of it.
Today, both nationally and internationally, thousands of people stampede to buy tickets to attend comedy shows-a development that was hitherto elusive then, among which ‘Night of a Thousand Laugh’ remains the most prominent. Irrespective of the high cost of gate fees, people are willing to attend en masse and the comedians are smiling to the bank daily. The ilk of Ali Baba, Julius Agwu, Bright Okposo (Basket Mouth), Gandoki, Klint De Drunk, among others, are good examples in this direction, who have made the most out of the hitherto unrecognized vocation of comedy.
Also, in the movie industry, we have thousands of its practitioners, who, through their acting talents, have gained for themselves fame, fortune, awards, international contracts and political appointments. The likes of Olu Jacobs, Pete Edochie (who played the role of Okoronkwo in Things Fall Apart), Richard Mofe Damijo (RMD), Bukky Ajayi, Yinka Quadri and the host of others, keep making impacts on the society with their God-given talents.
In the musical world, the list of those successful talented musicians is inexhaustible both in Nigeria and in other climes. Boyounce, recently in one of the annual Grammy awards carted home six awards. What an achievement! Fela Anikulapo Kuti, who died on the 2nd August, 1997; Jamaica’s Bob Marley, who died in 1980 and a whole of other late musicians, continued to gain posthumous popularity and recognitions to themselves, many years after their deaths, courtesy of their talents.

The literary circles remain the most saturated in terms of successful individuals, who have written their way to stardom and have made history and won laurels through their writing talents. The award-winning Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Winner of the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize), Helon Kabila among numerous others are still echoing and still taking the centre stage in the world’s literary circles.
Prof .Wole Soyinka, Africa’s Williams Shakespeare, through his God- given and self-developed writing talent, emerged on the 19th October, 1986, in far away Stockholm, Sweden, Africa’s First Nobel Prize Winner in Literature; Prof. Chinua Achebe, the writer of the popular novel,’ ’Things fall Apart’’, which has been translated into more than 50 languages, still remains a best-seller all over the world since late 50s. Achebe wrote the best-seller in 1958, when he was just twenty-eight.
In the same vein, the late King of Pop, Michael Joseph Jackson(Wacko Jacko),who until his death on the 25th June,2009,bestrode the musical world like a colossus, through his God-given musical talent is a good example of a well-explored musical talent.
Instances of several successful talented individuals who had obtained national and international recognitions are numerous. Today, we have talented footballers,writers,broadcasters,musicians,drummers,dancers,artists, artistes and so no, who are making impacts on humanity and etching their names in gold in the sands of time as well as living in expensive luxury and comfort, as a result of better and effective use their talents.
There comes the big poser: what is your talent? Is yours a talent of singing, writing, dancing, acting or what?
The first step towards making an effective use of your talent is DISCOVERY. You must discover your talent. What you are good at; what you enjoy doing passionately without difficulty. Then, DEVELOPMENT. It is said that practice makes perfect. An undeveloped and unused talent becomes grossly useless and dormant.
Here comes ways of developing one’s talent .One: practice frequently. Two: read related books and newspaper and magazine articles about your talent and above all, meet with veterans for mentorship.
If you make a better use of your talent, you will go places with it. The sky will not be your limit but a springboard. Also, build a career around your talent. Others have done that and yours will not be an exception. Create jobs for yourself and others, and help the world out of its prolonged and present unemployment quagmire.
Mind you, never bury your talent as you will give account of it usage to God-the sole Giver of talents. Talent is the vehicle through which you can affect humanity, positively.
Soccer is to Lionel Messi as swimming is to Michael Phelps. Sprinting to Usain Bolt as Lawn Tennis is to Raphael Nadal. Music is to Tu-Face and Michael Jackson as acting is to Ramsey Noah. Writing is to Chimamanda Adichie as poetry is to Helon Kabila. Comedy is to Ali Baba as golfing is to Tiger Woods. Journalism is to Dele Giwa as news-casting is to Eugenia Abu. What is to you?
What are you known for or can be remembered for? What comes to mind whenever your name is mentioned? Let your name be a household and become synonymous to one thing-you know best to do. Make your name a household through better discovery and usage of your God-given talent. You too, like the afore-mentioned people could make impacts on humanity as well as ruling the world with what you know how to do best. No matter how short a man is, he too, can see the sky, says an adage. If the talented dead and established individuals could be making and winning posthumous recognitions and fame to themselves; if people are changing their life stories for the better, through a better and effective use of their talents, you too can-yes, you can! The whole wide world is anxiously waiting for the manifestation of your talents and its inherent benefits to the world.