DAISAKU IKEDA Click here to view article in Speaking Tree, The Times of India
There is a saying that everyone has some kind of gift. Being talented doesn’t mean just being a good musician, writer or athlete. There are many kinds of talent. You may, for instance, be a great conversationalist, or make friends easily, or be able to put others at ease. Or you may have a gift for nursing, a knack for telling jokes, selling things or economising. You may always be punctual, patient, reliable, kind or optimistic. Or you may love taking on new challenges, be strongly committed to peace or have an ability to bring joy to others. Each of us is as unique as a cherry, plum, peach or apricot blossom, as the Buddhist teacher Nichiren states in his writings. Cherry blossoms are cherry blossoms and plum blossoms are plum blossoms. Accordingly, you must bloom in the way that only you can.
Without doubt you possess your own jewel, your own innate talent inside of you. The question is, how can you discover that talent? The only way is to exert yourself to the very limits of your ability. Your true potential will emerge when you give everything you have to your studies or sports or whatever.
The most important thing is that you get into the habit of challenging yourself to the limit in this way. In a sense, the results you obtain are not so important. The actual grades you receive in high school in themselves, for instance, won’t decide the rest of your life. But the efforts put forth by those who make a habit of pushing themselves to the limit will in time bear fruit. They will distinguish themselves from others without fail. They will bring their unique talent to shine.
One saying goes that people will not exceed their dreams. So you should have big dreams. But you must recognise at the same time that dreams are dreams and reality is reality. It’s natural, therefore, that to achieve big dreams, you must view your situation realistically and work with your entire being to see that they come true. My mentor Josei Toda once said, “It is vital for youth to have the tenacity to become the very best at something. ”Tenacity is crucial. You cannot make the gem inside your life shine with easy-going efforts…. For those of you who just can’t decide what kind of work you’d like to do, why not start out with a job that you can get easily and something you are familiar with. That way, you can gain practical experience and at the same time, find out what you’re good at.
Many young people may be under the impression that it is better to work for a large company or a government agency than for a small, unexciting factory, but often such is not the case. There are so many things you just won’t understand until you actually start working. Plus, there are as many kinds of companies as there are different kinds of people. Therefore, it is important that you possess the inner strength and common sense to always have the spirit to learn everything you can where you are, to develop the means by which to support your life, to pursue substance rather than surface, and to explore the depths of your potential. And it is vital that you become irreplaceable wherever you are.