Interviewed before a concert in Santa Barbara, California, world-renown folk singer Joan Baez was asked about her marvelous singing voice. She responded, “For years I didn’t think my voice was anything special. I thought anyone could do that if they wanted to and practiced. Then I realized that’s just not so. It’s a gift, it’s a monster gift that was given to me.”

We all are given gifts, each and every one of us, all different and unique, perhaps not all as monstrous as Joan Baez’s beautiful voice, but a gift, nevertheless. And, I’ve come to believe, that in no small measure, our lives revolve around the decisions we make about what we do with our gift. Sadly, many people choose to ignore their gifts, thinking they’re not special. They let their lives drift by feeling as if they have nothing special to offer, and feeling that way they don’t.

My own road to recognition has been a pretty long and winding one. For most of my life, I didn’t believe I had any special gift. I have always wanted to write stories; I started my first historical novel in seventh grade. Never finished it naturally. It has only been in the second half of my life that I accepted my gift and began to understand it was uniquely mine; that others had their own gifts I admired, but my gift was to write historical fiction novels that enlightened and entertained others. No other writer has my gift, my gift is unique, just like everyone else’s is unique. It’s mine alone, and the more I work at it, the better, stronger, it gets, and the more I can share it with others.

So, what is your gift? And what are you doing with it? Those are no easy questions; they demand a lot of thought and reflection. Our creator has bestowed on us generous gifts and infinite potential, but there is no guarantee of success, only a use-by date. It doesn’t matter if you can sing like Joan Baez. What matters is that you sing your own song as best you can, or paint or write or cook or raise your children or care for aging parents of whatever you do with your unique gift. It won’t spring out of you fully developed unless you take responsibility for it. Use it to the maximum.