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Taking Risks and Finding Our Hidden Talents

If he never took the risk and tried something new, he never would have known how much he enjoys acting, singing, and dancing. He has natural talents.

A few weeks ago, I was at a kids and teens performance in my community. A friend’s son was in a musical theater class, and he was fabulous! He was one of those kids on stage who stands out and is so much fun to watch. The joy that poured out of him was amazing. He was up on stage with a large group of kids, and my eye was not only drawn to him because I know him, but because of the huge smile on his face, the light in his spirit, and the fun he was sharing with the audience.

It was his first time in a theater class, the first time up on a stage performing, and he was phenomenal! Later, I thought, if he hadn’t taken a risk to try something new, he never would have found out how much he enjoys performing. The talents he has would have stayed hidden. He would have missed out on fun experiences, building new relationships with friends, learning more about himself, and expanding his abilities. And the audience that night and future audiences would have missed out on the joy and entertainment that he provided witnessing him on stage.

It made me think about how many opportunities we all pass by because trying something new is difficult, challenging, and anxiety provoking. We sometimes get caught up in focusing on the hard part so we don’t push ourselves to try new things.

Do you ever think about taking risks, challenging yourself, or enjoying life in a new way? Do you think about what…

  • activities you may enjoy
  • things you may have a talent for
  • activities at which you may be absolutely fabulous

but you are unsure because you’ve never taken the risk to try it? It’s true, trying something new can be challenging, difficult, and scary, yet, it can also be full of opportunity, exciting, and rewarding.

Sometimes, in a quiet moment, most adults will confess to something they wanted to do when they were a kid, but never got the chance. Maybe it’s learning how to play an instrument, taking up dance, learning to sew, riding horses, buying an old car and fixing it, singing in a choir, doing community theater, or focusing on photography. If this fits for you, and there is still something you long to do, I encourage you to try it, take the risk, and do the thing you’ve always wanted to do. If you do, you won’t have to look back 10 years from now and say, “I wish I would have…” You never know how many tomorrows you have, so it’s vital to make each day count.

Do the fun thing you’ve always wanted to do. Who knows, you may be absolutely fantastic at it.

How fun would that be?

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