Is there such thing as a talent hoarder?

No, I don't believe you can have too many talents ,but you can hide them and let no one see them which is what hoarders do. I want you to write down your talents/gifts (which include attributes like, "I'm always happy"). Yes, stop reading this and do it now then come back and finish reading.
I hope you got more then 3 things written down, if you didn't it's time to sit down and think about it some more. Write at least 10 things down. If you have trouble ask a loved one to help you. If this seems like too daunting of a task to write down 10 things, keep the list handy and add to it through out the week.

Jenae sharing her sewing talent with me

What good is hiding our talents?! Whether it be done by denying we have any, or hiding the ones we have. You have many talents/gifts. You know how I know? Because you are a child of God, and as such we are all creative, eht! Don't even think about saying something negative to yourself here! I won't allow it! Creativity comes in many forms; it's not just about being ubber crafty! Bringing something into creation (not talking about creating something from nothing cause that's not possible) could be photography or it could be fixing an engine. If you really feel like you have no talents then I would ask you; what talents have you tried to develop? Not all talents come naturally, some are inherent. We are drawn to them even if we don't know why. Whether it is a gift from God or just part of our make-up, either way it is who we are. The photographic eye is just part of me. But not the tech side of photography, I have had to work to develop that part of it. Other talents take a lot of persistence and patience to develop, but isn't the pay off worth it?!

Do not compare your perceived weaknesses to others perceived strengths. Just like I shouldn't compare my singing ability to that of my voice lessons teacher. Why should I do that to myself? She spends a lot of time singing and learning about music. I don't have nor do I want to devote that much time to singing/music. I love it but I love photography more. If you don't take many pictures but wish they looked like a pro's should you berate yourself?!  How much time do you spend working on improving that skill?  Or why should you berate yourself about not doing something that you see someone do so well when you really have no interest in it anyway? I have seen several articles lately and had a few discussions with friends about the battle that social media facilitates because we can see into others lives like never before. The battle is about super crafty mamas who make everything and moms who don't...Who freaking cares! Really?! Just do your "thang"! Don't compare. Don't judge. Just be you and do what you do best. Encourage others in what they are doing best which in no way belittles what you are doing best. If you have a friend who is super patient etc  then ask them how they do it. There's a good chance they don't see themselves that way and your asking about it will be a huge compliment and encouragement to them. Oh...and you stand to learn a ton!

The scriptures tell us to "seek ye the best gifts" but I don't think that means envy the person you see with that gift and compare your lack of said gift to their strength with that gift. It means go out and make it happen instead of disliking them, or yourself, instead have them help you learn it. If you have no interest in acquiring that gift that you were envying then you need a swift kick in the pants cause you need to get over yourself. I actually had to do this to myself the other day I am sure I looked funny trying to kick myself in the pants ;)

This is the first dress I have ever sewn. Just finished it today!

I have lot's of interests and try and work on lot's of things like learning to sew, voice lessons, cello, learning Tagalog, mountain biking, etc. But my family, church, photography and The SIP project take up a lot of my time and are my main priorities. I can't work on everything like I want to, but I do my best with what time I have. I'm not going to be an awesome singer or cellist anytime soon and that's okay, but I still try and make time for it. My friend Jenae is well known for her mad sewing skills and so I asked her to help me learn. I have enjoyed it a ton, even if I feel like an idiot. I don't however compare my skills to hers. What would be the point? She spends a lot of time sewing and has for many years, so why even go down that road? I love people with talents, especially when they love to share what they know. So thank you Jenae for sharing your talent with me :) Learn to share your talents, that is also a gift worth seeking!


Develop talents that it might be blessing to both you and those around you. (I recommend you read this post about talents)My SIL Keri is a great example of this. She is always using her talents of painting, drawing, wood working, baking, etc to bless those around her. She increases her skills as she puts them to use for others, a win-win. Feeling useful really increases the joy in ones life. The more you acquire talents, the less you focus on your lack of talent, and others abundance of talents. Observe others strengths and be inspired by them. That is something you can't do if you are envying them.

Sharing your talents and gifts isn't always a very tangible thing like sewing. It can be like my hubs who listens to me, and listens to me, and listens to me, and... does it some more. He also has a great sense of humor. In fact last night when I felt icky (due to a med that is supposed to help with PCOS) I was having him listen to the song I will be doing as a duet (eek!) "Great High Mountain." He sang most of it in a silly hick like fashion. I smiled and laughed so much my face hurt. My sister who is quit good with technology has helped me tremendously, but she has helped me even more because she has listened to me go on an don about The SIP project. She always gives me sound advice. I am one who needs to talk things out and I learn a ton as I do. Without her I would explode (I need to talk a lot). My friend Claudia is always happy! She is also very supportive of The SIP project. She really understands what it means to me and that's huge for me. She is the one who did the 10 random acts of kindness for my b-day which I talked about in my last post. She is just a great example of what a friend should be like. Misty get's what The SIP project means to me as well and is always spreading the word about it (as well as Claudia) she is super crafty with all things scraptastic and is willing to share her skills with everyone. I know countless people have received beautiful cards from her including myself. Both very service minded women and I find myself inspired by their examples regularly.

Truly I could go on and on. I am blessed to have some pretty amazing and talented people in my life and I try and learn from all of them; whether it's their example of patience or learning a skill like sewing. (If I didn't mention you please don't be offended, I really can't mention everyone :P).

I would love to know how you share your talents! Please take a second and share anything that goes
along with this :)

All my love,

-DeAnn