Episodes of Living: 7 WAYS TO MAXIMIZE YOUR TALENT

IF you want a balloon to inflate, you blow air into it. The amount of air you blow into it determines the size of the balloon. This principle is sharply opposite what makes talents maximization possible. Talent has to be deflated in order to be maximized. The more you deploy talent, the more you maximize it. You do not take in, but you give out to increase the impact of your talent. I have deduced 7 principal ways to maximize your talent with inspiration from the Parable of the Talent as told by Jesus in Matthew 25:14-30. Let’s explore them.

ENLISTMENT: Everyone has talent. It may be singing, talking, dancing, and so on. The problem is that not everyone discovers what they have. The first process of talent maximization is talent enlistment. Militarily, to be enlisted means to be recruited to serve in the armed forces. In the parable, the master gave each servant a talent or more (Matt. 25:16). Note this: they did not request for it, the master gave them by his benevolence. Your duty is to discover it.

ENSLAVEMENT: You are enslaved to something if you become addicted to it. Commitment to your talent depicts slavery. The amount of time and money you spend on your talent show your commitment to it. Everyone is a servant to his talent. The servants with commitment went and traded what they had. Since I enlisted my talent of writing, I’ve been passionate and committed to improving it for greater use. Footballers spend more hours training than the 90 minutes they spend in a meet. Your level of slavery will show in your performance.

ENHANCEMENT: Commitment to your talent must translate into developing it. Is your education directed at your talent development? Enhancement is not automatic. It takes time and money. Daniel in the Bible had a talent to interpret dreams. He polished what he had and was able to climb to become the Prime Minister of the most powerful nation at the time – Babylon. It is not what you have that makes you great but how you treat what you have that makes you great. You must go at lengths to develop your talent to serve bigger and better.

ENGAGEMENT: Talent can only be maximized if you engage in meaningful ventures. Seeds must be planted in order to germinate. Likewise, talent must be engaged in order to grow. Have you seen a footballer who doesn’t play football but rather plays basketball? Your talent is shown in your field of play. Talent without usage makes it dormant.

EXPANSION: This is the stage of increasing your scope of application. Whereas engagement leads to fruitfulness, expansion leads to multiplication. The reason why people don’t expand their talent application is that they are comfortable with their small domain of application. You can’t achieve great impact by small application. If you are using your gift of singing at home, extend to your immediate neigbourhood. The more you expand, the more confidence you amass. No one has ever been great without the full unleashing of his talent.

ENJOYMENT: When you give your talent in service, you take back fulfillment as reward. Fulfillment is more than monetary gains. The joy of every service provider is for clients to approach them and say “thank you for affecting my life”. This is the stage you get to be recognized and meet people in high places. The wise King Solomon said that your gift will make room for you and you shall stand in front of kings. Fulfillment brings joy.

ESTABLISHMENT: When I mention Mohammed Ali, what comes to mind? Obviously, boxing! What about Dr. Kwame Nkrumah? Political liberation. All great people of admiration have one thing in common. Each one has one thing attributed to him or her. You must seek to become founded in one thing. To achieve this, you must identify your dominant talent and develop it for massive use.

Let me conclude by offering you these stretch of sentences to capture the heart of the 7 ways to maximize your talent. Put it on paper and place it where you can read always. Until you enlist, you cannot enslave. Until you enslave, you cannot enhance. Until you enhance, you cannot engage. Until you engage, you cannot expand. Until you expand, you cannot enjoy. Until you enjoy, you cannot establish. And until you establish, you cannot maximize.