I have been thinking a lot today about what I am trying to teach my children, and what I would like to teach the young men I work with in scouts. It stems from what I continue to strive for myself, and that is blossoming to full potential. My thoughts led me back to one of my favorite books, Season of Life which introduced me to a program called Building Men & Women for Others that is focused on the same thing I was thinking of.
As I was reading Season of Life today there is a part with a discussion of the Parable of the Talents. This reminded me of a session from BYU Education Week this year that I attended which was all about that same parable. The conclusion in the Season of Life discussion was in the words of Francis “Biff” Poggi:
If a guy has ten [talents] and brings ten every day, that’s pretty good. If you have two and you bring two every day, that’s just as good. (Season of Life pp.52)
The conclusion I took from education week was “The parable of the talents is not about increase, but about effort.” I think it instructive that two very different sources came to exactly the same conclusion. One lesson that I hope to pass on to every young person I might ever influence is that the key to reaching your full potential and being correspondingly happy is to give 100% of your abilities.