As the world mourns the loss of another musical icon, it makes me think about talent. More specifically, the impact our gifts and talents have upon the world. Death is not something that we like to think about but the reality is that we have a finite time to utilize the gifts we’ve been blessed with.
Prince’s journey here on earth was limited. However, there are some valuable lessons we can learn from his life. Please understand this post is not written to evaluate, approve or disapprove of the content of his art. In reflecting upon his life I simply want to highlight five factors that I believe can benefit all of us.
- He Recognized His Talents and Worked on Them.
Musical talent was in Prince’s genes. It was his gift. At a young age he recognized this. Yet recognizing it wasn’t enough. He 
understood that it was his job to grow the gift. Furthermore, he didn’t wait to be trained by the greatest music teachers of that era, instead he taught himself. No excuses just growth.
There will always be a reason why you can’t grow or work on your talents but excuses are lame. They are your talents and it’s your duty to do whatever you have to do to grow them. Whether it’s going to the library, getting on you tube, or studying the life of others from afar, growing your talent is of great importance.
- Society Took Notice of Prince Because He Operated In His Gifts.
It wasn’t long before Prince became noticed for his great musical abilities. His musical talents alone are responsible for him becoming a world renowned icon in the entertainment industry. Had he never made the decision to grow and operate in his talents the world would have never known the artist formerly known as Prince.
When you are operating in your gifts, staying in your lane, and maximizing on your natural talents people will began to notice. It doesn’t matter how great or small your talent is or how extensive your reach is. When your gift begins to touch the lives of others, people will begin to pay attention.
- He Taught Us It Was Okay to Be Different.
There is no denying Prince was outside the box. He did music his way, combining a variety of genres in his own Prince style. He was not your typical pop or r&b artist. He freely expressed himself refusing to regurgitate the style of others.
The fact is our talents are not cookie cutter either. Yes, many of us our gifted with similar talents but the execution of them should not be the same. We were created to be unique and to put our own personal spin on things. That’s what makes us beautiful.
- He Never Stopped Using His Gifts.
As the saying goes “age ain’t nothing but a number.” Prince was 57 years young and still performing as an artist. Talents aren’t things that retire. Yes, as we get older or move through different phases in our lives we might reach a point where we want to slow down or utilize our talents in different forms. Yet the fact still remains that we should continue to use our talents. Remember, our talents are not confined by age.
- He Had No Idea When His Journey Would End.
The end of Prince’s journey came without warning. He was far from the age when death is often expected and it appears that he was not stricken with an illness that would give an indicator that his days were numbered. Death took him by surprise.
What a sobering reality. However, knowing this fact we must take into great consideration how we spend our days. How we use or don’t use our talents. How we make use of precious time. Then we must also consider how the world will remember us? Will we have made a positive impact or no impact at all? These are very serious questions that each of us must ponder and take into consideration.
Prince Rogers Nelson will be forever remembered as a musical icon. What will you be remembered as?
Homework: Take a few moments to consider what your current impact on society is and write it down. Now visualize what you would like your impact to be? What do you want to be known for? What legacy do you want to leave? Now write these down as well. If there is a gap between where you currently are and where you’d like to be determine the steps you must take to close this gap.
Share: What are your thoughts on this post? Please share your insights by commenting below. Also, if this post was helpful to you please share it with a friend! Until next time BE EXTRAORDINARY!
Prince’s death stunned me, as it did the world. Just as we had no idea when we were born, except we know our birth date, we have no idea of our death date.
I met Prince years ago, back in the early eighties. He was at my 28th Birthday Party at a club in Los Angeles. His body guard, Chickie, carried him in, like he was a little baby…
As I approached him, his body guard warned me to “stay back”. Prince told him, “let her come here to me”. I went to his table, sat down, and we had an engaging conversation. I told him that Stevie Wonder was a good friend of mine, which he was, and that every time he came to my home, he asked me to play Prince music, which I did. He kind of blushed, and he said thank you. His spirit was very humble. I got the impression that he shared his talent with the world, he KNEW he was talented, but he was not boastful about it.
Prince will be missed, for sure. I will never forget that one time in my life where our paths crossed. I will remember him for not only his music, but his gentle spirit of thanks and humility.
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for using your talent Samonna to enlighten the masses and get us thinking. I loved Prince and man I can’t believe he is gone, but this article is so much more than that and has got me to thinking about my impact and the use of my God given talents. Thank you.
It’s so sobering to think about how we spend our days.