Worrying about talent.
Feb 10th by Jon- Tagged in:
- serious wednesdays
Chances are, we’ve never met. We’ve never hung out or read comic books together or played racquetball. (Which Brian Regan calls the only sport in which you can be looking at the ball and get hit in the back of the head at exactly the same moment.)
But despite that, I do know at least one thing about you. I know that at some point, you’ve doubted that you had the talent to do whatever it is you feel called to do. Even if you don’t have a shadow of a doubt that you’re supposed to be doing what ever your “it” is, doubt creeps in. And so you don’t feel talented enough to be the one doing it.
I get that. I feel that a lot too. I keep feeling like I’ve snuck into a party full of adults with the Stuff Christians Like book. Like maybe I should be sitting at the kid’s table and will eventually get kicked out. I don’t feel talented enough or smart enough to go speak places, but I’ve learned something recently and it’s pretty simple, but I believe it’s true. Here it is:
“Honesty is more important than talent.”
That doesn’t seem right. That feels counter intuitive, but let’s unpack that. (Didn’t I sound like a Christian counselor there for a minute? They’re always unpacking things.)
Here’s what I believe, in the last 20 years, we’ve been exposed to more talent than in the history of mankind. Thanks to the Internet and our global connectedness, we know about more talent than we’ve ever known about before.
Twenty years ago, do you know where your favorite band from MySpace was playing music? In their garage. You didn’t know about them.
Twenty years ago, do you know where your favorite director you found on Youtube or Funny or Die was showing films? In his living room. You didn’t know about him.
Twenty years ago, do you know where your favorite blog writer was writing? In her diary on her nightstand. You didn’t know about her.
But now, we’ve got more access and more exposure to more talented people than ever before. No one would say that about honesty though. No one would claim that in the last 20 years our culture has gotten more honest. Consequently, the talent pool is really full and the honesty pool is really empty.
So if you want to stand out. If you want to do something big and bold and important, we all need to start focusing on honesty more than talent. And when you do, when you actually explore honesty, crazy things happen.
That’s how Stuff Christians Like evolved. Let’s be honest, at first it was just a silly rip off of Christian Lander’s site, “Stuff White People Like.” I was being sarcastic and silly and that was enough. But then I wrote a post titled, “Stuff Christians Like: Being slightly less nice than Mormons.” It wasn’t anything special or particularly talented. It was just 129 words about how I’d never met a rude Mormon but I knew plenty of jerk Christians. And I’d been a jerk Christian. So I argued that for some people, Christianity is like a bully learning a new form of karate, it’s just one more way for me to beat you up.
The second comment on the post, changed the aim of this entire site:
“These posts are so honest it’s stunning. I wish every religious person I knew approached life with this attitude. It’s unflinchingly Christian but not arrogant, and #62 gives incredible insight as to why. It takes a humanist approach to God, which is what Christ is anyway. No offense to anyone reading this, but if I weren’t an atheist, I’d strive to be this kind of Christian.”
All I did was be honest. All I did was share a few sentences that I felt like were true.
I asked Seth Godin, a business writer about the idea that honesty was more important than talent and he agreed. But then, because he’s brilliant, he quickly said that having both beats having just one. I think that’s true, but I don’t think you need to worry about talent as much as you do. You’ve got plenty of talent.
Honesty is going to matter more. I promise.
Comments
I still think you're watching me because these serious posts always hit what I'm really struggling with that very minute of that very day. It's creepy Jon, very very creepy, but good. Several years ago I discovered God was calling me to youth ministry. I disagreed with him at the time, but he dragged me along into it just the same. I've never felt called to do something more than I've felt called to love kids, preteens and teens especially. Now that I'm in fulltime ministry I doubt myself constantly. I'm either not cool enough, not Biblical enough, not theologically savvy enough, not cool enough (yep, its twice on purpose), not good enough at games, and all sorts of other things. We finally have a new pastor who has the potential to draw a lot of young people into the church and suddenly I'm afraid that I'm going to be the one to wreck it all because I won't have the same draw to keep kids in the Church. I really needed to see this post. Thanks Jon =0)
Nice post Jon. I have to disagree with your friend, though. Football is another sport where you can be looking at the ball and get hit in the back of the head at the same time. That, and the new year's countdown in Times Square.
This probably doesn't really deserve "I've got a talent" badge, but I totally get what you're saying about talent and honesty. I feel that way a lot about being a mom. Everyone is comparing you, and you get to read all these things other moms are doing ("today I, taught my kids how to speak French, baked cookies for the entire neighborhood, single-handedly organized the girl scout meet for Fall 2011, saved a beached whale, ran a 10K and then cooked dinner. Oh, and I smiled and was super happy/cheerful the entire time!").
It's hard to be honest. To tell people that sometimes life just sucks and you aren't all that great. But that even when it sucks, you've still got it better than you could deserve. God loves you, whether you saved that beached whale, or you just are a beached whale.
http://lovedlikethechurch.wordpress.com/
Amen. Honesty and authenticity – the same thing? There's no doubt in my mind that honesty is more important in EVERY aspect of life, not just our talents and achievements.
Yay for you saying what I needed to remember!
Aimee
This post really sucks!
Well, it's actually pretty awesome….as usual. I just wanted you to meet your first mean Mormon:)
Wednesdays are your best work Jon.
Honesty. Christianity without Religion – there just isn't enough of it. This post has my heart kinda bursting because… well just because, it's exactly how I feel. I'm writing about honest crappy jeans and t-shirt faith. It might make my departed grandma wince and my parents blush… but I gotta be me.
Well, honesty and action. What a waste for a writer to not write, for a singer to not sing, for a {whatever} to not {whatever}. Sometimes one must risk looking silly to be obedient.
GREAT POST JON. And I'm being honest, here.
Brillian. I am definitely trying to be more honest on my blog. It's easier when you don't have many readers.
One thought comes to mind. "Truth is better than fiction." Isn't that what honesty is all about…….truth?
Thank you so much for this reminder. God never requires us to be the most talented but the most willing. I was having trouble writing my latest blog post until I read yours. Thanks for helping me go out on a limb and expose an ugly part of me with hope that victory over it glorifies God.
http://unsettlingpeace.blogspot.com/2010/02/delay...
Wow! I'm with you on that. I have been writing for church for a few years now. I just wrote a comedy-type song for our annual pre-Lent festival. There's a line in it about how not saying "alleuia" during Lent makes us "gloomy dark and emo like a Christian Sid and Nancy." I've been assured that no one will get it anyhow, so I might not offend too many people if all goes well. Gee, thanks. So God doesn't deal in gloomy nowadays? Guess not.
Bam! One nothin! Ok, gimme the ball….bam! 53 nothin! Hahahahaha
Thanks.
It's hard sometimes because it seems like "everyone else" is better in some or all ways. Which is a lie, if I'm made to do my thing and everyone else theirs the way God made them.
It's refreshing to hear how much honesty really matters a lot more than being noticed.
Great perspective. There's a lot of dishonest talented people out there.
Thank you so much for posting this. I have been struggling with this lately and this really helped. God works through your blog, if you didnt know :]
I know this will probably all get burried in the landslide of posts, but I felt I should say this.
Thank you.
In my life I feel God is calling me to be a novelist, a shaky job if any. To write and to expect some kind of living is a scary thing, especially jumping in book first. Recently, after getting 50k words into my novel. doubt started pounding into me. The book sucked, I had no talent, the sentences could be so much better, I was no C.S. Lewis or J.R.R. Tolkien (named not for their christianity, but because I write fantasy. So oddly appropriate).
This was despite getting a lot of positive feedback from people, even other writers who I didn't know. But I saw all the flaws, all the things that would make it fail because I am not some extraordinary writer, and your post reminded me that there are more important things.
Sure, I want my book to be great and well written. Sure I want it to be some huge piece of talent. But the original reason I write is to speak truth of my view on the world, not to show off talent. To display what beauty I find in the world as best I can, even if I don't have exactly the right words.
So thank you again.
Oh, and this whole post also reminded of my favorite quote about writing, by none other than C.S. Lewis.
"Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it."
Thanks; it feels like this is speaking right to me, right now. (I'm doing a MA in History, keep thinking about going further with it, then feeling completely unsmart and giving up on the idea, then thinking about it some more.)
The fact that you just included Brian Regan in one of your posts bumped you up on my popularity list
Since I work with Athletes in Action (a sports ministry), this post will be something I keep in my back pocket and pull out from time to time. Thanks for your honesty.
Honesty is key in our relationship with God and with each other. Our 'a-ha' moments usually come when we lay out every emotion, thought and feeling before Him. Talent alone only gives you, what, that 15 minutes of fame? I'll take the honesty for 100, Jon!
So good. And kind of convicting.
Great post man, I want to live in a "body" that rewards honesty not only because it lets me be myself, but also because it puts my faith in the sweaty, human context of my actual life. Nobody wants to hear the gospel from someone who's clearly regurgitating a script and plays everything close to the vest. But a real human being who fails and doubts and is in love with Jesus? I'll take that persons faith seriously, I might not only listen to them but actually wonder if they're on to something.
I read this at such a perfect time in my day! Thank you Jon Acuff!
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Single tear drop.
Hope you keep keepin' it real. (Say that fast three times).