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"Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you."

- Marianne Williamson 

Those who don't know me outside of Ahead of the Game may not know something intrinsic about me - I can cook. There was one time when I posted online what I made for dinner that night. It was a lightly seasoned filet-o-salmon with homemade jerk seasoning and garlic-and-basil-infused tomato shrimp. It was served on a bed of wild rice with a side of avocado. That’s my hidden talent.

Not what you were expecting, huh?

I call it a 'hidden' talent because not many people know about it. Calling it 'hidden' got me thinking. Why do we hide our gifts? I try to stir people up to really bring out their unseen talents. In doing so, we unconsciously shine our light on other people. We get to show the world who we are.

I think I may know the reason why we usually don't reveal our gifts. You see, I made this meal, and maybe 2, 3 or at best, 10 people will eat it. Even if it's a phenomenal meal, that doesn’t mean that everyone who tries it will like it. Some will nod in approval and talk about the many flavours, textures, colours or sensations they experienced while trying my food. Some might not say a word. 

Sometimes, exposing our gifts and talents to the world can open you up to confusion, and in some cases, even hurt.

"But Jonathan, you brought vegetables. You brought meat. You seasoned it up, put your heart and soul into it and cooked it with love. They must like it.”

We all know that sometimes despite our best efforts, this is not always the case.

People are not obligated to like what I produce or my talent, no matter how much effort I put into it. Why? Well, because it simply might just not fit their taste buds.

It is for this reason that many people don’t show the world what they can really do behind closed doors. Many people get discouraged and don’t show who they really are. Our gifts are extensions of ourselves. We put energy, education, money and time into ourselves. We prepare, train, go to the gym, learn and read every single day. So, after all that hard work, blood, sweat and tears, often we feel that people are obligated to appreciate our talents. After all, they should appreciate our efforts at the very least, right? 

At the end of the day, is it fair to assume that everyone will like you? Is it fair to assume that t everyone is your friend? Can everyone like your flavour? Probably not. But that should not discourage you. I posted the picture online as an encouragement to others and myself. Just because people don’t like you doesn’t mean that you or what you produce is bad. It just means that their taste buds weren’t made for your meal.

See sometimes in life there are people who we just won’t mesh with. Sometimes in life there are people who won’t accept us for we are and will try to make us change. Don’t change your meal. You’ve put a lot of hard work into who you are. And who you are is extremely special. There are seeds of greatness inside of you. Don’t let anyone or anything take that away just because it's not their flavour.

So rather than trying to please everybody with the greatness that you have – your own personal recipe – just go out there and shine your light. And those who are feeling your flavour will eat your meal. Shine your light for everyone to see.

#GetAfterIt

 

-JH

 

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