There was a man who played piano in a bar. He was a good piano player. People came out just to hear him play. But one night, a patron told him he didn’t want to hear him just play anymore. He wanted him to sing a song.
The man said, “I don’t sing.”
But the customer was persistent. He told the bartender, “I’m tired of listening to the piano. I want that guy to sing!”
The bartender shouted across the room, “Hey buddy! If you want to get paid, sing a song. The patrons are asking you to sing!”
So he did. He sang a song. A piano player who had never sung in public did so for the very first time. And nobody had ever heard the song Mona, Mona Lisa sung the way it was sung that night by Nat King Cole!
He had talent he was sitting on! He may have lived the rest of his life as a no-name piano player in a no-name bar, but because he had to sing, he went on to become one of the best-known entertainers in America.
You too have skills and abilities. You may not feel as if your ‘talent’ is particularly great, but it may be better than you think! And with persistence, most skills can be improved upon. Besides, you may as well have no ability at all if you sit on whatever talent you possess! The better question is not “What ability do I have that is useful?” It is rather “How will I use whatever ability I have?”
By Steve Goodier
Nathaniel Adams Coles (1919-1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Widely admired for his soft baritone voice, he was a major force in popular music for three decades and had his own show on TV. His recordings remained popular worldwide much after his death from lung cancer.
Steve Goodier Publisher@LifeSupportSystem is a professional speaker, consultant and author of numerous books. He has become a global voice of inspiration. He writes a blog at http://stevegoodier.blogspot.com