We all have individual gifts or what you may call strength. It is a Divine endowment given to everyone to survive in a highly competitive world. Most people are not even aware that they have talents or spiritual gifts on which they could leverage for personal success.
God never creates a talentless person. You have a gift in you, waiting to be discovered and harnessed in case you don’t know. Physical beauty is a gift that ladies who are conscious of their exceptional physical appeal, to win beauty pageants. They walk away with prize money, endorsement contract and also become famous as beauty queens. A lady who achieves this feat has leveraged on her beauty to become famous and rich.
You, too, can leverage on your area of strength. Check the dictionary for the meaning of the word leverage. In my own dictionary, the word leverage means, “Any influence which is compounded or used to gain an advantage.” An example was given: “A crowbar uses leverage to pry nail out of wood.” You can see here that a crowbar brings out a nail from the wood, using the means of a lever. It is the influence of the lever that uproots the nail. Anything that gives you additional edge or power, is a leverage. Use it to your advantage.
For instance, if you want a contract and you know someone who is close to a Governor, you can leverage on that contact to reach the Governor with your bid. That contact gives you an edge over your competitors. That’s not illegal; you use what you have to get what you want.
Let us come down to mundane issues. If you have a single female colleague that you frequently give a lift home in your car after close of work, you can leverage on this favour to start a relationship, if you so desire. Everyone has something they can use to leverage. It could be talent, power, some endowment like beauty, physique, knowledge, spiritual gift, etc. There’s nobody under the sun who has nothing to leverage on. In fact, you can leverage on a relationship to get a break in life.
Many people are poor because they have not come to the full understanding that they have to use what they have to get what they need. Skillful footballers strikers like, Ronaldo and Messi convert half chances in front of goal, to score what looks like impossible goals. You, too, are supposed to compound your unique skills to gain an advantage. What got me this space is my ability to leverage on my relationship with the Editor. What has kept it going for close to two years is my capacity to leverage on my talents as a writer on life issues.
As a columnist, I had to write on different subjects to grow my readership. Therefore, I study new subjects to expand my knowledge base. I leverage on this knowledge to write on different topics every week. Every writer must read wide. So I read wide.
The point is, the endowment you have is for a purpose, don’t waste it. Learn to exploit every opportunity, every skill and anything that can enhance you. You don’t just admire someone who is exceptional, develop your own talent too. Let the achievement of your idols inspire you to do awesome things. Analyze all your gifts and see how you can use them to maximum advantage.
You need exposure to market your skill. To leverage on a talent for instance, you first have to develop it before you can market it. This is one of the reasons we go to school; education brings out your potentials. It enables you to acquire cutting edge skills and knowledge needed to excel in the world. A balanced, broad-based education and training can polish your talent. A well-developed mind will be able to discern hidden opportunities beyond the reach of ordinary folks who are not educated.
Lack of education and training may not enable you to know how to leverage properly. You need a rich, versatile faculty and a very strong mentality to leverage your skill, talent or knowledge when you are bidding for something exalted. You should identify your areas of strength and position yourself properly to be able to leverage. After you have done that, you act fast to take full advantage of your target or expected end
Any influence or contact you have should not be wasted. Don’t let it lie dormant. An unused influence or advantage, like unused talent or skill is like a dormant asset or capital. It is a waste. Most people have great skill or talent but fail to use them. I recommend you identify all of your talents or private possessions that you can use to great advantage.
Every talent or intellectual asset you have is for your enhancement. They are the tools you have to do the job of building your wealth, the earlier you know this the better. Start developing what you have. Let people know you have something special to offer. There’s always somebody out there who needs what you have. You are answered prayer to some folks somewhere. Get out of your shell, leverage all you have to get what you want.
Ok folks, be motivated. We’d do it next week. Stay motivated.
– Ayodeji is an Author, Rights Activist, Pastor and Life Coach. He can be reached for mentoring and counseling on 09059243004 (sms & whatsapp only).