Middle Ground

Robert Fulghum wrote a book entitled: All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. One story in the book talks about him going to a kindergarten class and asking all of the kids how many of them could sing. All the hands went flying up. He asked how many could dance. Again all the hands went up. He asked how many could play a musical instrument. All the hands went up almost immediately. He asked the same three questions in a college class. Each time only a few hands went up and only half-heartedly. What changed? Well, quite simply, we grew up thinking that unless we can do everything perfect, we cannot do it at all.

Another sad extreme is when we tell our children that they can do everything well. This is not true. They can do anything well that they would like to, but they cannot do everything well. This is the beauty and purposeful design of the world we live in. We are not expected to do everything well because if we did, we would have no need for other people. We are all given different talents to develop so that we can compliment, not compare each other.

We seem to be caught in between believing that everyone should be able do everything, and you have to be a professional to say that you can do it at all. There needs to be a middle ground.

Sir Ken Robinson, an education specialist from England has an amazing story that, perhaps, can help us move to this middle ground. He talks of a little girl a while ago who couldn't sit still in class. She was fidgety and hyper and couldn't seem to calm down. As a result, her school work began to suffer. Her teachers called the girl's parents and the parents took her to a guidance counselor of sorts to help them figure out what to do. The counselor studied the little girl in class, talked to her, and eventually had a conference with the girl and her parents. He explained to the parents everything he noticed about the girl as it pertained to her schoolwork. Then, he asked the parents if he could talk to them privately out in the hallway. As they were walking out, the counselor turned on the radio to a music station. Once out of the room he told the parents to watch their daughter. Almost as soon as the music was on and they had left she was out of her chair, moving to the music. The counselor said, "There's nothing wrong with her daughter. She's a dancer." It was amazing. Today, in similar circumstances, the girl would have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD, given medication and told to settle down. However, this girl was put into dance school and went on to meet Andrew Lloyd Webber, becoming his choreographer for Cats and Phantom of the Opera in London.

We need to figure out what our talents are, and develop them even though they may not be what we or others may expect. But in that development, we have to realize that we may never be the next Julie Andrews, Bill Gates, or Alfred Hitchcock. We may never be the best of the best, but we will almost certainly benefit one other person at the least.

Odds are that I will never be a great athlete. I may want to be, but at this point, I will probably never get there. It's okay. I can play the piano and the flute, I can draw, paint, and write well, and I have talking mastered. I may never be more than a wife and a mother developing these talents in my spare time for the joy of being able to share them with others, but I do know that I can do these things, in case anybody asks. :)

I am not advocating boasting or bragging. I am advocating honesty. We all know our talents and if you don't, shame on you. Talents go way beyond physical things and we need to seek out our talents and better them so that we can be a compliment to society. Everybody has amazing talents, even though they may be hidden. Someone out there needs your talent. It may be you. And remember, when you're trying to find out what your talents are, don't look at other people. Look in the mirror.

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"Can we talk about something that makes me sound smart?" --Bruce Henderson

"Unhappiness is best defined as the difference between our talents and our expectations." --Edward de Bono

"Envy is the art of counting another fellow's blessings instead of your own." --Harold Coffin

"Life isn't about perfection. It's about progression." --Unknown

"If you're not failing every now and then, it's a sign that you're not doing anything very innovative." --Woody Allen

"I was put on this earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now I am so far behind that I will never die." --Calvin, Calvin and Hobbes

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Today's Featured Quote:

"I urge you not to take counsel of your fears. I hope you will not say, 'I am not smart enough to study chemical engineering; hence I'll study something less strenuous.' 'I can't apply myself sufficiently well to study this difficult subject or in this comprehensive field; hence, I'll choose the easier way.' I plead with you to choose the hard way and tax your talents. Our Heavenly Father will make you equal to your tasks. If one should stumble, if one should take a course and get less than the 'A' grade desired, I hope such a one will not let it become a discouraging thing to him. I hope that he will rise and try again." --President Thomas S. Monson