Talent in each one of us needs constant honing

I was at my maternal village of Butala not far from Amritsar the day its first hockey Olympian, Dilpreet Singh Bal, was offered a rousing reception as he arrived from Tokyo with a bronze medal. The following morning, Balwinder Singh Bal, his father, took me along to Dilpreet’s school in the village, where he was invited as chief guest in the morning assembly.

We witnessed another warm welcome for the Olympian with excitement and pride among students and staff. It was inspiring to listen to Dilpreet addressing the gathering, sharing how his dreams took birth and how he pursued them, besides his memories from the classroom to the school grounds. It was followed by thought-provoking speeches by the principal and other staff members. They ardently talked about valuing one’s talent and dreams.

That memorable morning landed in my mind as I sat by the window, leading me to indulge in a monologue, beginning and concluding with tales of talent. It’s a universal fact that each one of us is blessed with a unique talent, often hidden deep inside. Some discover it, others don’t, but just discovering or unearthing it isn’t enough for talent needs constant honing.

Most essentially, we should have the discipline for it. American author Jim Rohn frequently termed discipline as the bridge between goals and accomplishment. There is, however, one crucial stage, where unfortunately many give up. A stage where we have to fight for our dreams, and at times it begins from home itself, with our family members raising doubts about our chosen path. We are constantly questioned but if we have a strong self-belief in our dreams and ourselves, we can never be affected by the pressures around us. Self-belief keeps us connected to our passion.

The ability to handle constant rejections is another test and it seems to me that wherever we are being tested, in any form – our dreams are somewhere watching us, taking cognizance of how strong or weak we are for them. I’m reminded of American novelist Erica Jong’s words, “Everyone has talent. What’s rare is the courage to follow it to the dark places, where it leads.” And one day, it is these dark places, where we are rigorously tested, that lead us to the most happening light of our lives. Giving up for whatever reason, be it ‘my elders wanted me to pursue something else’ as many sadly share, we end up blaming and remain filled with regret throughout life’s journey. In other words, we become victim and not what we could have been.

When we stay glued to our talent, life turns so interesting and meaningful; from ordinary it becomes extraordinary as the Japanese book, Ikigai: The Secret To Long And Happy Life, also explains. In fact, its title Ikigai also means finding a talent in oneself to make life fascinating. Once we have found our talent, we plant Ikigai in our lives and it always gives us more than our expectations. I am experiencing my Ikigai through writing and I absolutely adore it. Despite rejections at times, I keep going on to stay connected with my Ikigai because its presence in life matters greatly. rameshinder.sandhu@gmail.com

The writer is an Amritsar-based freelance contributor