By now you might have heard Toby Keith’s new single, “Love Me If You Can.”

I’m not sure anyone has ever written a song that so completely encapsulates who I am and what I would have wanted to say if I could write like that.  This is an incredible song and one that warrants a quick read, regardless of your musical tastes.

Love Me If You  Can (Wallin/Wiseman)
Toby Keith

Sometimes think that war is necessary
Every night I pray for peace on earth
I hand out my dollars to the homeless
But believe that every able soul should work

My father gave me my shotgun
That I’ll hand down, to my son
Try to teach him everything it means

I’m a man of my convictions
Call me wrong, call me right
But I bring my better angels to every fight
You may not like where I’m going
But you sure know where I stand
Hate me if you want to, love me if you can

I stand by my right to speak freely
But I worry about what kids learn on TV

And before all of the bedlam turn to angry words and hate
Sometimes we should just agree to disagree

And I believe that Jesus
Looks down here and sees us

And if you asked him he would say

I’m a man of my convictions
Call me wrong, call me right
But I bring my better angels to every fight
You may not like where I’m going
But you sure know where I stand
Hate me if you want to, love me if you can

Well said. 

OK, guys.  Good stuff!  Thanks to Michele and Todd for stopping by. And thanks to the rest of you for your comments.  I’m anxious to dive into the actual first chapter (which I have read, by the way).  But I honestly can’t resist one brief post before we do.

I hope you’ve had a chance to read the comments from the last two posts.  In case you didn’t, I can some it up easily:

“I know I have talent, but only in moderate amounts in several different areas – nothing specific.”

Each of you at least implied this in your comments.  I should point out that I feel the same way.  Sure, I can hold my own at greased pig chasing, but I’m not exactly the world champ.  So does this mean that my swine stalking skills are any less valuable?  Certainly not in my home town of Arab, AL.  And the same holds true for any of our talents.

Kristen talks about never really excelling at anything but finding value in her traits of loyalty, passion, and commitment.

Cheryl is the same way, having often associated “talent” with those extra-curricular activies that always seem to go hand-in-hand with some goofy uniform or medal.

Kevin considers himself well-rounded with talent and really just wants one of those watches.  (Sorry – sold out!)

I agree with Michele.  Our gifts tend to surface in many areas of our lives.  Things like loyalty, passion, and commitment aren’t necessarily extra-curricular.  There’s no place in the year book for Most Likely to be Committed (well – there was in mine, but that’s not exactly what we meant).  I would have to say, however, that this trait seems to serve Kristen extremely well as she works to be a successful mom and wife.

I also agree with Todd in the first “Talent” post.  These talents are gifts from God.  To identify them, to develop them, to use them isn’t at all extra-curricular.  In fact, it’s ”pass-or-fail” kind of stuff.  It’s the difference between being in the year book or being relagated to one of those post-graduation Summer Supplements with a bad photocopied picture.  (What? I had a cousin.)

Anyway,  Todd suggests that how we use our talents is indicative of the kind of stewards we are.  (Thanks, Todd.  Now I have a low self esteem AND a guilt complex. )  So where does this leave us?  I can say this.  Each of you has talent.  Each of you has incredible talent.  I know it’s easy to focus on all the “5′s” and “6′s” in your life.  But I want to encourage you to identify those “7′s” and “8′s”.  

Kristen’s passion seems to manifest into a remarkable ability to identify with people, even in difficult circumstances or with sensitive issues.  She has a talent for connecting with others and being able to listen enough to help people find workable solutions to their problems, solutions that were inside of them all along.

Cheryl’s ability to organize and maximize has given her a great career as a project manager.  Her limitless creativity and complete and total dedication to her daughter has made her blog the envy of mothers around the globe (or at least Williamson Country).

And Kevin, well let’s face it.  You’ve got great hair!  And aside from that, your ability to break down numbers and complicated patterns of financial data so that guys like me can understand them . . . well sir, that takes some incredible talent.

Before we move ahead to Chapter One (which, by the way, is completely about BELIEF in your talent), I want you guys to check out another book.  You don’t have to read it, but there’s a code in the jacket of the book that will allow you to take an online assessment of your strengths.  The book is called Now, Discover Your Strengths.  The whole premise is based on finding those “7′s” and “8′s” and building on those instead of banging your head against the wall trying to shake a “6″ out of your semi-talented right ear.

Perhaps your strength is WOO (Winning Others Over) or maybe Vision.  There are several major categories this book examines.  As it turns out, my principle strength is called “Maximizer,” the ability to recognize and maximize the strengths of others (which kind of explains why I’m writing this series of posts instead of sleeping – I’m also a talented sleeper). 

Keep the comments coming.  If you had to pick ONE key strength, what would it be?  And I don’t really care if you can play “Devil Went Down to Georgia” on a sousaphone.  Give me something real.  Lastly, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of Talent Is Never Enough.  The more I read, the more I’m convinced that each of us has a talent – a tool for accomplishing God’s purpose on Earth.  Why would we NOT want to discover our strength and be a Talent-Plus individual for Him?

I want to know your thoughts on this stuff. At the end of each post, I’ve asked a couple of questions. Take a second to respond by leaving a comment, and maybe we’ll all learn something.

OK. I’ll admit it. I could pave my driveway with the self-help books I started and never finished past the first chapter. It’s almost as if I bought them with the hope that pure ownership alone would somehow magically transform me into the person the back cover promised I could be.

It’s like buying a watch that is water proof up to 100 meters, can double as a heart monitor, and will tell time in 30 different cities. Let’s get real. I’m no scuba diver. The only time I can foresee 100 meters of water being over my head is if I’m drowning in the ocean, in which case I am almost certain the last thing on my mind will be what time it is in New Delhi. (At least I’ll know for sure when my heart stops.) But buying this watch seems to somehow imply that I can wrestle with sharks, travel the world, and exercise until my heart explodes. So I buy it, or should I say I buy into it. That’s why instead of buying this book, I just checked it out from the library. No pressure, right? You don’t really have to commit to a book if you just check it out.

And so I sit with Talent Is Never Enough, my checked-out (now overdue) library book. I’m immediately disappointed to find out that the title it not a joke. Apparently talent is truly never enough. Bummer. And here I thought that whole turning-my-eyelids-inside-out thing was really gonna take me places. According to Maxwell, talent (while still a very good thing) is rarely equated with success. He quotes some French guy (Edouard Pailleron for those who care) as saying, “Have success and there will always be fools to say that you have talent.”

Let me stop here and interject something. I believe that EVERYONE has talent. Some are gifted in different areas, some more, some less. But as my notes will point out at the end of this post, this book applies to us ALL. I’ll prove it. Remember eeking by some of those college courses and wondering if you’d ever really amount to anything? Check this out:

• More than 50% of all CEO’s of Fortune 500 companies had a C or C- average in college.
• 50% of millionaire entrepreneurs never even finished college.
• 65% of all US Senators came from the bottom half of their class.
• 75% of all US Presidents are in the same boat.

First let me say, this explains a lot about our government. But it also tells me that getting A’s (the key indicator of talent and success for so many of us growing up) doesn’t always equate to making money (or promises you can’t keep in the case of the last two statistics.)

Talent sets you apart. True. It gets you noticed, and even gives you a head start on others. But it can’t help you maintain that edge. Clearly, the business and political leaders of our day needed (and possessed) something more than talent.

At this point, I’m flipping to the last chapter. Tell me already!!!! What else do I need besides talent. I’ve got other blogs to read, man!

Then I found it. Three simple things – all from the introduction. (Maybe I won’t have to read the next chapter after all).

1. Understand that EVERYONE has talent.
Told you this would come up again. And it’s true, scientifically proven no less. You have something, some part about you, that you do better than the next 10,000 people. Believe it or not. (But don’t go gettin’ the big head).

2. Develop the talent you have, not the talent you want.
It’s true. We all do it. The second we attack the self-improvement aisle, we search for books to deal with our . . . weaknesses. Why? Did you know (and I’ve read this in other introductions) that a person can only ever truly increase their ability in any one area by 2 points on a scale of 1-10? Seriously.

Say you’re a 4 in any area. No matter how many books, how many seminars, how much effort you personally put into that area, your natural abilities will typically limit you to a gain no greater than that of a 6. That’s motivating, isn’t it?

But if you’re a 7 naturally, you could sharpen your skill to the level of a 9. That means that you’re better at this one thing that 90% of the rest of the known world! That should at least get you a spot on Letterman.

3. Anyone can make choices that will add value to their talent.
OK. So you got skills. Not sure what they are, but you’ll buy the fact that God don’t make no junk. Now what? In 2004, Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel asked Maxwell to speak to his team. In preparation, Maxwell was sent some background material on Ohio State football, among which was a document entitled, “Things That Do Not Require Talent.”

Inside, the author found the following items listed:

• Punctuality
• Effort
• Patience
• Unselfishness

Bottom line:

Talent is God-given. The choices we make each day are up to us. But if we combine God-given talent with good decision making on a daily basis, we can become what Maxwell calls a “talent-plus” person.

So what do you think? Anyone ever said you have talent? Do you agree with them? Ever had trouble deciding how to use that talent? Let me know.

Don’t faint!  Two posts inside of a month.  I know.  It’s a miracle just shy of Biblical proportions.  When I started this blog, I promised myself that I would not post unless I had something to say.  Well guess what?  I’m ready to talk.

Over the next few posts, I’ll be sharing some things I’ve learned during these weeks . . . ok, months of silence.  In that time, I’ve written a new short story, started a novel (three chapters down . . . many to go), began reading a new book or two, and did some major soul searching at work and at home.  The later is where I’d like to start. 

As I browsed the round table at Borders not long ago, I noticed the latest release from Christian leadership guru John Maxwell.  Apparently, he’s now written a book called Talent is Never Enough.  This caught my attention.  Not so much because I think I have talent.  It might just as well have been titled Never Enough Talent, and it still would have applied.  But the actual title suggested to me a truth that (frankly) contradicts what I have always been taught.  Maybe you are the same way.

Were you ever really good at something?  Maybe it was baseball or football or basketball.  For those of you who were like me and less athletic (read: geeks) it might have been band or the math team (or the Future Farmers of America - no comments, please).  The point is, we all have talent, whether you’re Tiger Woods or Napoleon Dynamite.  Yet we live in a society that tells us if we have enough of this talent, we should expect to be discovered and swept almost overnight into a world of limos and fame and our very own monogrammed Future Farmer jacket (man, that would have been so cool).  But I digress.

Somewhere along the way, I bought into this charade.  I focused on using my talent to impress others in hopes of seeing my ship come in somewhere on the Alabama horizon.  I even left a forwarding address when I moved to Nashville just in case I missed the boat.  Boy did I miss the boat.

What I’ve learned since is that no one, not even the most talented of individuals, is immune from the basic facts of life.   There are some rules we all must follow if we want to succeed or at least avoid failure.  Talent is no exemption lottery, no get out of jail free card.  (Paris Hilton proved that getting out of jail doesn’t exactly require talent anyway).

Has anyone ever said you have “potential?”  I used to love that word.  It held such promise.  It was a blank check that I could cash at anytime.  If I had a bad day, no worries.  I had potential.  When I was lazy, or shiftless, I was not concerned.  Tomorrow I would just bust out some potential and ease on down the road. 

My college band director always said, “Potential just means you ain’t done nothing yet!”  This was usually shouted through a megaphone in 90 degree heat.  And he was right.  Somewhere along the way, people stopped caring about my potential.  They became more interested in my results.  Oh, results?  Why would you need to see those?  I have potential, remember?  It was like saying I must have money, because I still have checks.  God had planted seeds of talent in my life.  He had basked me in the light of mentors and teachers.  He had watered me with the love of family and friends.  All I had to do was to reap the harvest.  Instead, I just stood at the edge of the garden, potentially proud, terrifically talented, but with a crop wilted and wasted. 

So if you’re like me, if you too have failed to realize the true “potential” of your talent, hang out with me here over the next few weeks as I explore this book, Talent Is Never Enough.  I’ll do my best to hit the highlights.  Maybe some of you can contribute by leaving comments, feedback, and answers to some of the questions Maxwell poses.

Now, let’s crack open that book . . .

Well here it is.  My “hello world” moment. 

I have avoided blogging as long as I could.  As a web designer, I suppose I should be operating no less than 10 blogs on everything from Mac vs. PC to the best way to cook a turkey.  But for some reason, I’ve been reticent to join the masses who spend so much time telling me what they’re reading, or why I should hate Microsoft, or . . . 

Yet here I am, shoving letter upon letter into the database of blogdem.  And I must say, I feel the power.  Oh yes, that kind of Tom Cruise “need for speed” power (not the jumping up and down on Oprah’s furniture kind of power).  I knew the instant I pressed this Save and Submit button that millions of blogamaniacs would be notified of my post.  Half of you probably spilled coffee on your keyboard trying to click fast enough to read what I had to say.  Right?

Of course in reality, I know most of you have perhaps already left this page and are not even reading this line that addresses you specifically.  [enter crickets chirping]  But just in case you are still with me, here’s a blog that promises two things:

1. You will most likely NOT find daily or even weekly posts to this blog.  You may see 5 or 10 in a row. Then you may see nothing for two, maybe three presidential terms.  Who knows?  I can only tell you that my last journal, all 5 pages, covered fifth grade to my first voting election.  But those were five awesome pages.

2. When I do post, you might hear about politics, religion, literature, drums, computers, and most certainly my family.  Now that’s some good material! 

So, if you’re as bad at using Google as my wife claims to be, and you have no working knowlege of how to find truely good reading material on the web, I’m here for you.

Till next time . . .

B