YOUR TALENTS MATTER.

Here's a story: I have always had pretty handwriting. In fact, I'm a little obsessed with it. All through elementary school and junior high, I would change my handwriting on a weekly basis, slightly altering my A's and R's and Y's and W's. When I finished a test early, I would practice different versions of the alphabet...I know, I'm a weirdo.

But then, all of a sudden, here I am in college, and having pretty handwriting is the cool thing. Typography and hand-lettering and watercolor and inspirational prints are everyone's favorite pastimes. And it seems like everywhere I turn, other people are stealing my passion. Everyone on instagram is discounting my talent, making it less rare and less impressive. And my personality is tempted to quit what I'm good at, just because someone else is better, or because I don't want to step on people's toes or look like I'm doing it to follow the crowd.

But here's the reality of it: YOUR TALENTS STILL MATTER. Mine still matter. It doesn't matter if your talent is baking incredible cakes, or being an attentive, compassionate listener, or totally smashing it on the soccer field, or singing like Josh Groban. Or even more mediocre versions of these same things (because let's face it, none of us are really on that level. Haha). Regardless of what your God-given talents are, they are fabulous. YOU are fabulous because you have them. And because you can make them better, and even gain new talents! And because people in your life, be it roommates, family members, cashiers at the grocery store, whomever, can be positively impacted by your gifts. Just because someone else is better in a certain area than you are or is trying to develop a similar gift doesn't diminish your originality or impressiveness. This is something I have to tell myself ON THE DAILY. You don't even know how real that is.

But what I don't realize is that no one else actually has the same gifts as me. Sure, someone else might be able to write pretty, but no one else gets the exact same feeling of exhilaration or satisfaction that I do when I make a beautiful swoop on a "g". Someone else might play the cello and harp and piano and whatever else I play, and they might be 100 times better at it, but they don't learn patience and grace and perseverance like I do. Someone else could totally trash me in soccer, but their body doesn't love the competitive rush like mine does, nor do they offer the same set of skills to their team as I do.

This is not to say that your talents and gifts are better than everyone else's or that their passions don't matter as much as yours do. That is downright absurd. This is simply to say that just because someone else throws a more extravagant party than you doesn't mean that people wouldn't love to come to a simple game night you hosted, or that just because your friend has perfectly straight white teeth and you don't, that people don't want to see your smile shine as you tell them something amazing you've accomplished. Keep being you, and be the best you there ever was. Because goodness gracious, you are spectacular. You are so talented and so bright and you are just what the world needs! Let people get as much enjoyment out of your gifts as you do. Because we could all use a little more happy in our lives.