Amongst the multitude of ordinary people,
talented persons are as easily identifiable as
flowers in foliage of leaves and thorns, or as
moon amongst the stars. As such, no one is
ever born talented. Nor is talent obtained as
a gift or lucky coincidence. It is a resource
acquired through one’s own endeavor. The
seeds of talent are latent in everyone but one
has to nurture, develop and refine it. In this
process others may guide and support, but it
is essentially a quality, a distinction, earned
by one’s own hard endeavor.
Amongst the many types of resources acquired
by man throughout the course of his life, talent
is unique. Wealth keeps on changing hands.
Beauty and youth are also transitory
possessions. Only children and young ones
appear beautiful. With advancing age, the face
gets hardened or wrinkled, and softness of
skin disappears. Even education does not
remain a personal asset in totality. Only that
part of learning is remembered which comes
in regular use. Help from friends, associates,
relatives and co-workers can also not be relied
upon forever. It is not possible to maintain the
same degree of intimacy with them for all
times. Rights and authority are also not
everlasting. With withdrawal of support they
pass on to someone else. The capacity to work
hard decreases with old age. Memory,
sharpness, energy and dynamism too decline
and make a fast exit. When it happens, man
finds it difficult to plan and implement any
productive scheme. Sooner or later, the danger
signals of approaching death also begin to
appear. There is a gradual depletion in the
repository of life force which ultimately
empties on death.
Human body is in a smooth state of
development only during the period of
smooth functioning of circulatory system till
full maturity of body has been achieved.
Whether one spends this prime time of youth
in inaction, procrastination or in satisfying
greed and mindless passions, is one’s own
choice. At times people are even found
exhibiting this energy in destructive activities
driven by extreme arrogance, viciousness, or
strayed ambitions. Such people foolishly fritter
away their inherent power with which
otherwise they can perform miracles. The
prudent ones guard their inherent potentials
zealously and make every possible effort to
further refine and use them judiciously. They
know that only these are their permanent
assets which can help improve and uplift the
course of their own as well as others’ life. They
are aware that they will be carrying these
powers with them even in their later cycles of
life after death and use them for achieving
successively better environment and higher
states of consciousness.
Efforts
made
for
improvement
and
constructive use of talents are commendable
from all points of view; and like gold, can be
cashed for success in any field of human
activity. Superb progress of the materialistic
world is there only because of the endeavors
of talented people in different walks of life.
In the field of spirituality this is the effort
which develops and promotes greatness
associated with benevolence.
There are some basic principles for refinement
and augmentation of talent. All those aspiring
for success in life are recommended to
understand and follow these steps. The first
step is “augmentation of capabilities” and a
persistent endeavor for their scrupulous use
with ever-readiness and unperturbed
dedication. Every moment of life should be
regarded as precious and a planned evaluation
of time should be made for its systematic use
for thoughtful, productive objectives. In fact,
such an alert, and farsighted state of mind is
what corresponds to “awakened state of
mind”. Generally people waste their life in
dullness and lethargy and pass it like a pain
or burden to be endured. They feel contented
barely with the arrangement of some means
of living. There are hardly any motivations in
them conducive to action for making the future
brighter. The zealous aspirants of talent bring
themselves out of this quagmire, meticulously
nurture their emerging capabilities, protect,
and use them like a precious property. They
make use of their potentials and qualities
wisely for best possible outcomes. This is how
the Kalpavriksha (a wish-fulfilling mythological
tree) of their life grows and blossoms.
The second step is to cultivate self-confidence,
and develop a magnetic and authentic
personality. This is a characteristic attribute
of those whose talent has achieved worthy
recognition. It requires adoption of life style
of an awakened, responsible and gentlemanly
individual. Cleanliness of body and mind, and
clarity, precision and modesty of speech are
also integral part of civilized behavior. For this,
it is also necessary to express humility and
respect for others. Grooming of personality
is possible only for those who are constantly
inspired by seeing virtues in others and also
make efforts to identify their own
shortcomings with a determination of self-
reformation. People of lowly bent of mind are
always found bragging about their own
achievements and finding faults with others.
In this way they stagnate and gradually
deplete the efficiency of their intellectual
faculties and other potentials and lose
credibility in society.
Truly talented persons radiate positivity in
one form or the other. The ever present smile
on their faces indicates their self-contentment.
With this virtue, others too look forward to
them for alleviating their misery. Seekers of
progress are often eager to associate with
them in any enterprise. People naturally tend
to avoid those who have a habit of expressing
dissatisfaction against someone, something or
the other, or have a tendency to annoy by
unpleasant interactions. Anyone aspiring to
upgrade his qualities never commits this
mistake and is quite watchful to discard,
should such habits begin to influence his
behavioral pattern.
The third step consists of orderliness in life.
Even highly resourceful persons are found
facing failure and are ridiculed because of their
disorderliness. A talented person keeps on
reviewing his plans and activities from time
to time and unhesitatingly and readily adopts
corrective measures. He is never bound by
tendencies of conservatism or hard-line
attitudes. Such persons are aware that for
being progressive one has to change strategy
according to circumstances and improve upon
the existing methodology. This is how they
help in developing a ever-progressive system.
Only those persons are considered worthy of
shouldering some big or additional
responsibility who have the capacity to
properly plan and organize their efforts,
resources, thoughts, time, and surrounding
environment for the assigned task along with
management of their other commitments.
Before formulating ambitious schemes, one
should examine as to what extent he has
succeeded in streamlining his own potentials,
resources and activities using his own
organizing skills.
The fourth — and the last step, is to take
farsighted initiatives for developing ideal
leadership attributes. These attributes of
leadership are indicative of courage and self-
confidence. Ordinarily people suffer from lack
of confidence, hesitancy, timidity, indecision
and cowardice. They do not come forward
even to associate with righteous activities.
Though convinced about the correctness of
some issue and about its propriety, they
generally do not find courage to join its
supporters. They remain confined within
the self-made situation, inexpediency of
which they are well aware of. Amongst
such a mass of people those are considered
brilliant who maintain unflinching faith in
truth and propriety and move ahead
solitarily, irrespective of whether there is
concurrence of views and assistance of
others or not.
Having deliberated on the basic steps, we must
also understand that mere deliberations on
principles are not sufficient to acquire talents.
These principles are to be imbibed deeply in
thought, character and behavior. It is not
possible to do so without actually putting the
principles into practice. In order to obtain
butter from milk, which is one of its
ingredients, the latter is required to be
subjected to boiling, churning and other
processes. The same is true of manifestation
of hidden talents. When a person develops
mature and brilliant concepts they should be
translated into constructive activities. Just as
revolutions in a dynamo charge and reactivate
a dying battery, coordination of thoughts and
actions shape the character of a person. This
is the basic process necessary for any
commendable achievement. This is also the
blank cheque which can be cashed instantly
by anyone anywhere. No one is known to have
inherited talents for performing big tasks. All
of us have to acquire them with total
dedication and personal endeavor.
Great talents are torch bearers. They move
forward alone to prove their capability of
charting new courses towards noble goals.
With it they naturally receive acclamation all
around. Others follow the path shown by
these pioneers. Progressive societies/
organizations are always on the lookout for
such individuals to shoulder major
responsibilities. Having been tested for
integrity and dependability such persons are
persuaded to fulfill increasingly greater
responsibilities which they willingly accept
and efficiently discharge in all respects.
A railway engine moves alone towards the
destination under its own power, and drags
along with it a long chain of loaded wagons.
We know that in a train, the engine gets more
importance and is also considered as its most
valuable part. The significance of an engine is
because of the power inherent in its
machinery which has the competence and
organized system to pull the train. Talented
persons possess this ‘leadership’ characteristic
and capability. They never look askance but
move forward single-mindedly; their
magnetic personality and conduct naturally
attract other deserving fellows and motivate
them to join hands. This is the secret of their
grand success.
Though there exist contrary examples as well,
which show that the inherent resource of talent
(in usual sense of the word) is also sometimes
misused for improper objectives. As we can
see today, wealth, strength, beauty, skilled
expertise, creative arts and intellectual
sharpness, etc are being (mis)used by many
towards self-obsession, destructive planning,
and immoral actions. Terrorists, unscrupulous
persons,
reckless
individuals
and
undisciplined defiant people also are very
sharp and skilled in succeeding in their
misdeeds. Nevertheless, there is no doubt,
that strayed or misguided talent neither
results in steady progress in any field nor it
leaves any commendable traditions for
posterity. Such people invite wrath, enmity
and antipathy from all quarters. In course of
time they suffer ignominy and remorse, and
are punished by not only the courts of justice,
but also, and surely, by divine displeasure.
Persons having farsighted prudence make an
endeavor to develop their positive attributes
and establish their integrity and dependability
in public eye because of their idealistic
activities. Whosoever ever achieves higher
levels of success along righteous path also
attracts numerous followers. For this reason
their refined talent has been regarded as a
mahasiddhi (supernormal power). The devotees
of this mahasiddhi zealously guard the integrity
of their character, disregarding temptations
of immediate gains, and even facing most
adverse circumstances.
Call of the Present Times:
Whatever significant has been achieved in this
world has been the result of efforts of the
pioneers of the path of progress paved with
farsighted dedication and hard endeavor. In
this way they have been able to obtain
multifaceted success in all walks of life and
earned name and fame. These are the persons
who maintain the ethical equilibrium of the
society and reverse the trends of regression.
Only such persons can bring revolutionary
changes in prevailing trends of time and infuse
the society/the nation with a new zeal.
Review of biographies of the trendsetters in
the world in various periods of human-history
who established a new order for humanity,
would confirm that when the talent is
deployed in the right direction, there is a
revolutionary change not only in the
personality of the person concerned but also
in the entire environment around him. For
example, the past few centuries in the history
of India have witnessed the glorious feats of
great patriots like Rana Pratap, Shivaji,
Subhash Chandra Bose and Gandhiji who
changed apparent impossibility into reality by
righteous use of their talents to meet the call
of time. Indeed, great personalities use their
life as a laboratory where they conduct
revolutionary experiments by prudent,
focused and constructive use of their talents
and achieve desired results. Their lives and
deeds remain the perennial source of guiding
lights for future generations.
Aspirants for following the path of great
talents must note that there does not exist any
institution to provide ready-means for
cultivation or augmentation of talents in a
person. One is required to seek appropriate
opportunity and find or create suitable
environment by one’s own personal endeavor
to translate established principles (of talent-
development) into actions. Suitable
opportunities are, however, not available just
anywhere. One may have to wait for them
patiently and gain from experience slowly and
steadily.
The present phase of human history has
brought a unique opportunity for everyone
who is looking for expanding and applying
his talents in positive collective endeavors
without much personal effort. Rarely do in the
history of mankind such opportune moments
occur and it is the rare fortunate ones who
recognize and take advantage from them.
Hanuman could identify one such moment and
within a short period earned name and fame
by performing herculean tasks such as crossing
the sea, uprooting the mountains and
destroying the enemy stronghold at Lanka.
Had he not answered to the need of time, he
would have continued to serve his master
Sugreev as his companion (as an ordinary ape).
Today there is an urgent need to find
energetic, zealous, talented persons who have
the capacity to uproot the evil and disseminate
the light of prudence and goodness at this
juncture of change of an era, when the world
is passing through its worst period full of
adversities, threats, and challenges. Dedicated
talents are called upon to save human dignity
from total extinction. From only such
individuals is expected a supra-dynamic role
comparable to that of Bhagirath who had
undertaken the arduous challenge of descent
of holy Ganga for the welfare of mankind.
Write Your Comments Here: