Showcasing Your Talents

So many young women were blessed with special talents but never showcase them. Are they too shy? Are they too scared? Do we want to be accepted by a certain crowd, so we'd rather bury or hide our talents? I have always been a very modest person about hobbies that I may be good at. Rather it was crocheting hats for my sister and my grandma, singing in a choir, or coming up with and styling outfits for my peers. Instead of showcasing my talents, I would actually hide behind my talents. I am a very outgoing person who would share my other girlfriends talents instead of sharing my own. My own closest friends didn't even know that I was a singer until this year when I started to invite my friends to my church's events. But I had to realize that by not showcasing my talents and actually sharing them I was depriving myself from actually being myself as well as depriving my friends from experiencing my talents and performances with me.

This weekend, I experienced this first hand. I am a dancer. I have been dancing every since I could walk, but have been taking lessons since I was in third grade. This weekend, I had the honor of being an angel in my churches annual Christmas production. I had a solo within the the production and the feedback I received from the little ten minute solo impacted me so much. I felt so proud of myself just for showcasing my talent and passion for dancing with a group of people I have grown up with and known since I was five. The audience gave me so much positive feedback such as how powerful my dancing was and how much the audience was moved as well as felt empowered by my dancing. I don't think I have ever realized my gift of dancing because I have never showcased this talent of mine. I always was just one of the dancers but never was a soloist even though opportunities to do so were given to me. It felt good because most people didn't even know I was a dancer. It made me realized that even though most of the audience didn't even know me but got to know me through my dancing and performance. It just made me want to go out and scream to the world that “Hello World! My name is Jamiah Lashay King. I am a dancer, a singer, a poet, a leader, I am a black woman.” By showcasing my talent I showed more growth than I have ever before. It's good to be modest at times but sometimes you just need to claim that spotlight that you deserve and let your light shine! So realize who you are and the great women we can become by showcasing our talents. I know that everyone out there is really good at something, you just have to realize it.


-- Lashay King
Jr Correspondent