Finding Your Hidden Talents

My client, Maggie, was wondering what her talents were now at this time in her life. She’d raised five kids, worked several different jobs part-time and full-time on and off during her child-raising gig.

As she told it:

    “These eight folks were definitely in a hurry. All trying to self-check out at once.

     What a joke….What assembly-line guru came up with that solution to shopping woes? I held my little can of yellow Behrs paint as I watched this 60-something Home Depot check-out clerk help each one of these impatient customers, the most impatient one holding a huge package of toilet paper. Hmmmm…this could’ve presented an obvious problem had this clerk been a slow one. But this clerk was phenomenal! She helped every one of those folks simultaneously, systematically, efficiently, quickly and with a smile!

Where had she learned such talent, social grace, and aplomb?  And so I asked, “Have you raised any children in your lifetime?” She said she had, and I told her it was quite obvious and went home to do my painting.

She looked like grace in action. Rarely will I take the time to commend an employee, but this was one of those “have to’s”.

So, this lady made me think: What talents do I have? I mean, I’ve raised kids and it wasn’t always a cake-walk, sleep was a foreign word and cold coffee was the soup of the day, but had I really gleaned anything from those 22 years of working, watching and waiting? I thought, if I could only demonstrate a portion of what I saw in the clerk’s talent, then I should be a success.

So, Kathy, why do I keep thinking about this clerk? Maybe it’s empty nest syndrome, maybe it’s just plain old abandonment issues from my childhood….or maybe it is only all about me!!!!! But sometimes I feel a little, hurt, let down, abandoned, forgotten by my kids. I know I didn’t call my mom constantly while I was raising kids, but that’s still is no excuse for my kids. My relationship with them is totally different…isn’t it?? Am I feeling let down because of their inattention? Maybe I should just be carving out my own life, like making a life for myself without relying on my kids to make my life, even though I feel like I helped them make theirs! Maybe I should rely on myself

So, I was asking myself, what are my talents? I know this much: after having raised five kids, I can whisk through a check out in less time than it takes to sneeze, and say “no” and “we’ll see” over 28 times. I can cook dinner for seven, talk on a six person conference call, clean up an entire pitcher of spilled red fruit juice from an off-white carpet, finish three loads of laundry and get dressed to leave for my office, all at the same time.

 I remember arriving to my first full-time professional job while raising my family, not being jilted a bit as I open the lobby door, glance behind me, and see that my heal has dragged with me from the car a long white line of Charmin which we used for noses in the car. Hmmmmm, not too many people have this talent, I’m sure…..It wasn’t even ripped a bit, forming an impeccably straight white line behind my Naturalizers. And I thought I looked so professional! Where is faulty toilet paper when ya need it?”

After hearing her story, it was obvious to me that my client is quite talented herself. She not only seemed to raise a nice family, functioning well under pressure, but she’d learned how to laugh at herself! She was also good at evaluating her current feelings and where they were coming from. By telling her thoughts about the clerk, she was able to realize she was now responsible for her own life, and it wasn’t her kids’ responsibility to make her happy. Now it was up to her. She had to make her life what it would be now.

 Well, it never hurts to re-evaluate your talents gleaned from life.

“Oh,” Maggie added before leaving, “by the way, because of that talented clerk, I bet that guy with the Charmin got home in time!”

If you’re wondering what your real talents, and mission are at this time in your life, check into it. See what awaits you!

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