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Student Life

Talent vs. Passion

What you are good at may not be what you want to do for the rest of your life.

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Talent vs. Passion
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Everyone is naturally good at something. Whether it's a sport, an art, music, dance, cooking, whatever, each person has some talent. Some people have many talents, the "jack of all trades" types of people can be found doing all sorts of things. We also have our passions; the things we care the most about and get the most enjoyment out of doing. Talents and passions can overlap, but sometimes they don't.

Sometimes people are passionate about things they have no skill for, but they decide they are going to work until they get where they need to be. Other people find their passions in their talents, working at what comes naturally. Each is perfectly okay. The important thing is that you don't pursue your talents if you're not passionate about them.

You have to make your own path and follow your own dreams. You cannot allow others to guilt you into fields you don't want to be in. Everyone deserves the chance to be happy, and if you aren't passionate about what you're doing, you are on a path to becoming complacent and fed up. When you work towards what you are passionate about, whether it's what you're good at or not, you gain a sense of purpose.

I'll give you an example. I am naturally talented when it comes to art, media, and radio. However, I am not passionate about the media arts field. I may be able to become well known for radio one day, but that's not what I want to do. My heart is in helping children. I may not be a natural with kids, and sometimes my patience runs out, but I know I can make a difference for them, and that's what matters to me. I would rather be pulling my hair out over grading homework than sitting at a microphone all day running a radio station. No matter how many people tell me I am talented and should pursue radio, I will stick to my guns, for I know what will give me the most fulfillment in the end.

So my message to you is this: don't chase other people's dreams. If you want to work your tail off for something that makes you happy, then go right ahead. If you want to follow the path that the universe has given you the talent to be on, then so be it. The important thing is that you make the decision, and you don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something, no matter what it is.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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