When it comes to getting my hair cut, I am normally very conservative.  I go to a barber, not a hair stylist.  And if it costs more than $15, I will walk out.

But many years ago, on the eve of our wedding, my then-fiancée (now wife) convinced me to go a little more upscale with my look.  She was (shall we say) a little tense, and I rightfully sensed it was no time to draw a line in the sand.

So I reluctantly trudged to a salon of her choice and asked for the first available “hair professional”.  Within seconds, a flamboyant Frenchman named Jean-Claude popped out from behind the counter:

“You are ready to look beautiful, no?” he inquired in a THICK French accent.

Are you kidding me?  The things we do for love!

After 45 minutes of styling, Jean-Claude finally held up the mirror to show his work.  It looked as if nothing had been cut.

“Um, could you make it a little shorter?” I implored.

Jean-Claude would have none of it.

“Why would I butcher this fine head of hair?  If you got it, FLAUNT it!”

While I certainly did not appreciate his comment at the time (especially after dishing out $50), I now see Jean-Claude as an inspirational thought-leader.  We all have special and unique talents.  And if we have them, we need to FLAUNT them!

The world does not need us to play small.

Perhaps you are highly analytical but easily intimated in a group setting.  Perhaps you can motivate others but lack the vision to fully grasp the business concepts.  Perhaps you are incredibly creative but are apprehensive about earning money from your talent.  Perhaps you have a strong desire to help others but are too shy to take the first step.

Analytical skill is an asset.  The ability to motivate is an asset.  Creativity is an asset.  Altruism is an asset.  Do not let your weaknesses or insecurities overshadow these incredible gifts.  We owe it to ourselves and the world to let these talents shine.  If you got it, FLAUNT it!

I am not suggesting that we act overly braggadocios or conceited about our skills.  Nobody wants to hear about your 300-yard drive or your patent for kinetic energy displacement.  This is not about flaunting our accomplishments.   This is about helping others succeed.  This is about maximizing our God-given talents!

We have a finite amount of time on this earth to showcase these talents.  If you wait for someday, someday may never come!  If you got it, FLAUNT it!

So why not offer motivational words of encouragement to your peers?  Why not turn your creativity into a business? Why not cast your insecurities aside and volunteer to help others?  Why not listen to that voice inside your head and take action?  If not now, when?

But what happens when we flaunt our talents and fail miserably?

We blow a presentation.  Our business flounders.  Our creativity fails to inspire.  We volunteer but freeze in the spotlight.  Wouldn’t we have been better off NOT flaunting these talents?

Of course not!  The only sure-fire way to fail is to bury your skills.  To ignore the voice inside your head.  To curl up into a ball and take the safe route.  Flaunting your skills does not guarantee success.  But suppressing them guarantees a life of mediocrity.

As long as we continue to believe in our talents, we will always have another shot at redemption.  We will always have an opportunity to prove our doubters wrong.  We will always bounce back from our initial failure.  Resilience is the ability to keep believing and moving forward, even when our talents fail us.

The happiest and most vibrant doers of the world put into play the most number of their God-given talents. –John Glenn

We cannot shy away from our talents and skills.  We were put on this earth for a reason.  We have a purpose.  Share these talents with the world.  Let them inspire and motivate.  Let them inspire and motivate.  And let them sustain you even in moments of doubt.

You have more talent than you will ever know.  And if you got it, FLAUNT it!

Until next week, keep smiling.