Natural Talent

Ever since I was young, I’ve been obsessed with the “natural”. I didn’t wear make-up until late into high school because I wanted to exude my “natural beauty”. When, as a high school freshman, I died my hair red with Koolade, this only furthered my belief that to try to change what was natural only made it worse.

What is natural? This involves a very fine line…if there even exists a line. For example, other values of mine were “natural talent” and “natural intelligence”. But does that mean it is “unnatural” to develop these qualities within ourselves?

Nobody is born with everything. In fact, I think that we are all truly born equally equipped – just in vastly different ways. And that some strengths are not as highly valued by our culture as others. I have come to notice this desire to remain natural sometimes limiting me, holding me back from believing I can be good at things I never thought I was. Through this realization though, I have come to the conclusion that there cannot be anything more natural than the human desire to learn and grow. Without learned talents, we would not get anywhere.

Equally valuable and natural are talents that are with us from birth and talents that we work hard to attain.