Sharing Your Gift

I’m a fingerstyle guitar enthusiast! So much so that I volunteer to write the Toronto Fingerstyle Guitar weekly newsletter. I’ll post my articles here for your musical pleasure. Be sure to check us out online at http://www.fingerstyleguitar.ca  This article was originally printed in July 2009.

Thursday, June 25th will forever be burned in my memory banks.  I’ll always remember the disbelief I felt when the news of Michael Jackson’s passing flashed across my Twitter screen. I didn’t believe it.  It had to be a hoax.  We had already lost one of our cultural icons that day in the passing of Farrah Fawcett. Surely we didn’t just lose another – especially one who was not known to be ill.  I immediately stopped what I was doing and Googled for details – convinced it was all a terrible mistake.

It wasn’t – Michael Jackson had indeed passed away at age 50.

Now I’m not going to go into details about his death or his life or even his music.  I’m sure you’ve all seen one of many news programs in the past week offering exhaustive coverage on the subject.

But what I will say is this: if you are not sharing your gifts with the world, you are doing the world a great disservice. 

Say what you want about Michael Jackson the man, one thing cannot be denied – he had an incredible talent.  Whether or not his style of music was your cup of tea, it can’t be denied that he had an incredible gift.  And he had such passion and dedication for sharing his gift with the world.  Anyone who has seen any of his videos will agree. Anyone who has seen him perform live will agree.  Michael Jackson loved what he did.

The same can be said of Farrah Fawcett.  She too had a talent, a gift she shared with the world.  Same for Ed McMahon, or David Carradine, or even Billy Mays.  Each had a gift that they shared with the world.

If you are not sharing your gifts with the world, you are doing yourself a great disservice.

It doesn’t matter if your gift is Fingerstyle guitar, song and dance, acting or writing.  In fact, your gift may not even be in the field of arts.  Maybe you’re a great mathematician.  Or a fabulous cook (and if you are, let me know when I can come over for dinner!). If you’re not sharing your gifts, you’re wasting them.

You may never reach the level of Michael Jackson – few ever will – but there are ways to share your love and passion for something.  Come to an open stage if you’re a guitarist, volunteer your time to tutor or teach a child, perform for your family and friends – whether the performance is a song or a four-course meal.  Share your gift – share your passions – do what you love to do and watch as the people you love share in that passion.

If you have been blessed with a gift (and we all have), it should be shared… before it’s too late.