Better Than Everyone Else

What I'm about to write is going to come across egotistical at a certain level. But what I'm trying to do is make a point that I think a lot of people can relate to.

The impetus of what I would call my "talent" since I was a child, was that I could always draw better than anyone else around me. I was always told it was a talent or that I was gifted, and so I felt like I was gifted. And even today when I think about it, I still feel the same way. It was definitely a natural thing that I was good at.

But what I'm interested in today is how feeling gifted or talented can shape a person. How does it affect their behavior in society with other people? Because lying behind the actual talent is this mentality that goes along with it. It's the notion that you know you're good at something. It's like you know the cheat code for the video game of your life and it's awesome and it's easier for you than anyone else.

So obviously there are people who view their talents in two different lights: those who abuse the value and notoriety it can garner, and those who selflessly wield it and don't expect it to yield anything different from the next person in line with them.

One point I want to make is that it's not always a really definitive talent either. If you ask a large group of people what they think they are individually really good at, I'd venture that the majority of people wouldn't know. Think of this abstractly or indirectly. What are emotions or social strategies you subconsciously act on that help you navigate the world better? You probably don't know right away without thinking about it deeply. And that's all I'm trying to say. If you think differently about what a talent really is, I'm sure you can think of one or 100 that you have.