Lesson 9 – How to make the most of your abilities

“Success in life comes not from holding a good hand, but in playing a poor hand well.”

You were born to succeed, not to fail. You can achieve what you perceive but you cannot rise above the level of your vision, so dream big.

Kenneth Hildebrand, in his book “Achieving Real Happiness” demonstrated that he had a rare ability to make even “skid row” derelicts raise their sights and aspire to a better life.

The first thing a person needs to do is to take stock of his abilities. What talents Dow we possess? What are our assets, our strong points?

We should also take our inclinations into account. Possibly we have several talents, any one of which could develop into something useful and satisfying, if we were to pursue it; our inclination helps us decide which of our assets to develop.

In taking stock we should ask ourselves if the area in which we have talent is feasible. We need to discipline our abilities for maximum usefulness, employing, foresight and industry, thought and care.

Thorough preparation is imperative if we are to use our capabilities to the fullest. A definite sense of purpose adds strong motivation toward making the most of our abilities.

Even if our abilities seem small to us, or the opportunity to use them seems insignificant, it is important to exercise them to the fullest.

People with ordinary talents often achieve more than those with greater physicals and intellectual endowments because they work harder switch what they have.

Remember the ancient story of the hare and the tortoise. The plodder succeeds if he keeps plodding “The race is not always to the swift.”

In putting our talents to work, imagination, which builds our dream, adds amazing amazing to our capacities. Imagination is man’s greatest asset, and is one of the qualities which makes him unique. “Let your imagination soar and then engineer it down to earth.”

“As a man thinks, so he will become.”

Be patient. “The only chance to start at the top is in digging a hole!”