A number of teenagers poccess special skills but left it behind as they venture into adulthood because everyone around them convince them that ‘it’s just not practical earning a living doing that.’
Jenny Y is a friend that I’ve known since high school. We were classmates for 3 years before going our separate ways and lost contact for many years. Jenny is very talented in art- both drawing and colouring. She can come up with beautiful pieces in a short time. To me, she is naturally gifted and very creative. We always look forward during art classes to see the pieces drawn by Jenny.
Jenny drew the most beautiful birthday cards that I’ve ever received. For 2 years of my birthday, I’ve received birthday cards from her. Even though so many years had passed, I’ve kept this cards well:
She even had my name drawn creatively on the birthday envelopes
We parted ways soon after Form 5. I continued my Form 6 and she went to college. Then, we met again two years ago at an old classmate’s wedding. Jenny never looked a day older- she’s one of those who are naturally gifted with a high metabolic rate- that means that she is not able to gain weight no matter how much she eats. I know many girls will kill for that, hee hee.
Feeling glad to see her, I’ve taken the chance to ask her if she is involved in arts since she has displayed great potential in drawing and creative design. She told me that she had left the skills behind and what she does for a living had nothing to do with her childhood skill.
Bear in mind that Jenny had drawn those pictures without requiring any guidance or formal training, it was just impromptu drawings or what she would probably referred to as ‘quick sketches’.
Leaving the childhood skills/interests
If we think back of something that we love when we are young, most likely that we would have said goodbye too as we headed towards adulthood. Such gifts, as I would like to call them, would be good to keep at least as hobbies or something we retreat to when we want to destress from this competitive world. Keeping the interests alive also nurture our creativity skills, which once developed, can spill over into other aspects of our lives.
Sometimes these interests are prelude to bigger things to come- if we spend time to nurture them, we will never know. Like for me, I have love crafts, coloured ribbons and beads from a young age- this interest led me to subsequently made my own website to share the interest with people. Today, I love to blog and blogging had helped to improve my writing skills and allowed me to express myself better. Also I love making my own websites and with writing, had become invaluable in my career previously.
Therefore, don’t leave your childhood skills behind…. who knows, it may evolve into something. And one day, you could become someone whom you thought you could never be.













