Grief
On the Creative Process
Those born with exceptional traits often remain unaware of them until adulthood, as we tend to take our own mental and physical capabilities for granted and assume everyone else is the same.
What is a gift? It is an innate skill, sense, or ability that is so second nature to you that you’re oblivious to others not having it.
Do you possess a heightened sensitivity to your surroundings, easily detecting overlooked details and connections?
Do you possess a special musical ability to recreate concerts and symphonies in your head, with all the instruments?
Are you able to mentally multiply large numbers as quickly as a computer?
Do you have a green thumb? A gift for healing? A deep understanding of how others feel?
Gifts can take on various forms, some familiar and others so unusual that they can’t be labeled, but you’ll instinctively recognize your gift. You may deny it, but you’ll never doubt it, because that’s how gifts work.
You underestimate the value of your special gift, dismissing it as common or worse, unnatural, and fail to realize it is probably the reason you exist.
Gifts don’t wait for you to guess what they are. They won’t leave you alone until you grab that brush, that pen, that psychology manual, that watering can.
It is near impossible to deny a gift.
They are persistent, loud, and will drown you in guilt for ignoring them, and your life’s purpose.
Don’t expect your gift to benefit you financially and set you up in a comfortable life. They rarely do that, for you at least.
We’ve diluted the meaning of valuable to only signify things that have monetary worth.
Empathy, intuition, artistic talent, a sunny disposition, dexterity, social intelligence, an unusual memory, even unique events in your life that have not and could not have happened to somebody else, those are your special gifts to express.
Being able to orient yourself in a new city with almost magical ease is a gift.
How to do right by your gifts? First, do not ignore them.
If your heart compels you to draw, take charcoal and a piece of paper and get started. We are all so conditioned to do things for social approval, the very act of rebelling against what would people say will be a boon to your life.
Dance, if the spirit moves you. Even if somebody is watching.
Once you start seeing your talent as an expression of your own being, rather than a way to engage socially, it will truly shine.
Many revelations and deep understandings of the world emerge from allowing yourself to practice your talent and give it a special place in your life.
Second, don’t dismiss the insights your gifts reveal to you just because you don’t like them. The unexplored part of you, where all talent originates, is incapable of dishonesty. Whatever it tells you, it’s probably useful and true.
Third, if you can’t resist the social pressure to give up an idea or practice that others don’t approve of, it’s better to keep them to yourself.
No one goes to their grave regretting they didn’t conform more.
Never give up on anything that brings you happiness or a sense of purpose.
In conclusion, what are the points worth remembering?
- If you are born with unusual qualities, you may not realize you have them until adulthood, because you assume everyone is like you.
- Your gifts, while constituting your raison d’être, may not result in financial benefits.
- Certain talents, such as music or art skills, physical dexterity, or technical abilities, are easily identifiable, while others are too unusual and distinct to be named.
- Denying a gift is nearly impossible; it will manifest in your life through any means available, often unconsciously.
- Don’t reject the insights your gifts provide just because you find them unappealing. Those unplumbed depths of yourself from which those revelations come don’t know how to lie. Whatever they tell you, it’s probably useful and true.
- If you can’t resist the social pressure of abandoning an idea or practice everybody doesn’t approve of, keep them to yourself.
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