I re-read Ben Franklin's Wit and Wisdom again today. There are so many remarkable truths in that little tome (kind of an oxymoron, since the book is not really big and heavy, but it has some big and heavy ideas in it so I think Franklin would have approved).
One of the things he says that jumped out at me is:
Hide not your talents,
They for use were made:
What good is a sundial in the shade?
I'm constantly amazed by the economy of words. Someone who can say so much with so few words. Some people have a knack for distilling ideas down to their essence so that when you read the words, they whack you upside the head.
I doubt that Ol' Ben came up with all these sayings. I'm guessing that since he published farmer's almanacs back in the day, that a lot of people sent these quotes in to him and he simply collected and published them.
But the saying about hiding your talents, spoke to me this evening as I read it. I seem to spend a great deal of time doing "stuff". The question that nags me is this -- Am I spending too much time on unimportant stuff? I think it's a valid question you must ask yourself from time to time.
We all have gifts, and I think it's wrong, not to share those gifts. I get melodies out of nowhere. I can be driving down the road and it's almost like my mind is tuned into some cosmic radio station. I've recorded hundreds of melodies in recent years.
But here's the thing -- I have the melodies on my iPhone, but unless I take the next step and turn the melodies into complete songs that I can share, I'm hiding my talents. I've got to do a better job and utilizing my talents.
After all, what's a sundial in the shade?
One of the things he says that jumped out at me is:
Hide not your talents,
They for use were made:
What good is a sundial in the shade?
I'm constantly amazed by the economy of words. Someone who can say so much with so few words. Some people have a knack for distilling ideas down to their essence so that when you read the words, they whack you upside the head.
I doubt that Ol' Ben came up with all these sayings. I'm guessing that since he published farmer's almanacs back in the day, that a lot of people sent these quotes in to him and he simply collected and published them.
But the saying about hiding your talents, spoke to me this evening as I read it. I seem to spend a great deal of time doing "stuff". The question that nags me is this -- Am I spending too much time on unimportant stuff? I think it's a valid question you must ask yourself from time to time.
We all have gifts, and I think it's wrong, not to share those gifts. I get melodies out of nowhere. I can be driving down the road and it's almost like my mind is tuned into some cosmic radio station. I've recorded hundreds of melodies in recent years.
But here's the thing -- I have the melodies on my iPhone, but unless I take the next step and turn the melodies into complete songs that I can share, I'm hiding my talents. I've got to do a better job and utilizing my talents.
After all, what's a sundial in the shade?
Shine, Rick, Shine!!! Come out from within the shadows and shine!
ReplyDelete:-) Take care
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