In his book StrengthsFinder 2.0, author Tom Rath takes on an American icon. He takes the story of Rudy Ruettiger, dramatized in the 1993 movie Rudy, and turns it upside down. He says, “While Rudy’s perseverance is admirable, in the end, he played a few seconds of college football and made a single tackle . . . after thousands of hours of practicing.”

His point is that we idolize those who overcome great odds—and a lack of natural talent—to show that “overcoming deficits is an essential part of the fabric of our culture.”

Maybe it’s obvious by the title of his book, but what Rath is getting at is that instead of embracing the idea that “you can be anything you want to be as long as you try hard enough,” why don’t we look for where people are strong and encourage them in that?

Where do they really show potential?

My 16-year-old daughter could carry a tune before she could talk. She would sing in her sweet baby voice with words we couldn’t understand, but we always knew what she was singing because we recognized the tune. The barrier she’s working to overcome isn’t one of natural talent, that she has in abundance. Her hurdle is shyness and a lack of desire to ever be in the public eye.

Consider the parable of the talents. The master gave to each servant what He willed, and they then had to do something with it.

Rather than seeing something you want and overcoming every obstacle to gain it, why don’t you look at what you’ve been given and invest it in the absolute best way you can?

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