If It Stopped Growing, You Stopped Feeding It
If you find yourself in a place where what used to inspire, drive, and motivate you is no longer there, you are near your creative death. You can only use, deploy, and service an active idea or a potent gift. If it is no longer useful in your estimation then there’s no point.
There’s a dangerous place we get to as creatives where the gifts, and talents we once esteem lose their potency in our minds. The feeling that we have a gift and the gift is potent is about the greatest feeling to have. Most people who stop deploying their talents, pursuing their goals, creating a product, writing, preaching, and putting themselves out is a sign of lethargy that is caused by the lack of belief in what they have. If it once made you happy but not anymore, if it once drove you crazy but not anymore, if it once woke you up in the middle of the night or early morning but not anymore. It's because you stopped believing in it.
Things we stopped believing in die. Belief is what pushes us to sacrifice, invest, grow, and share with people. If you see people who stopped talking about their business or pushing their products, it's mostly not because they are shy, it's because they've lost their belief. Let’s think of it: What is the point? If it lost its power, why talk about it? If it can’t deliver results anymore, why share with others?
People who believe in the power of the gift they wield are confident to share and consistent about growing it.
Growing, nurturing, and sharing our gifts with the world are directly linked to what we believe about such gifts and products. If you believe that a charm or magic is potent, you will use it and share it with others. The same thing with a good product that you bought. You will be glad to talk about it.
A few things are responsible for switching off:
Lack of result
Discouragement from people
Lack Of belief or faith in what you have
Inferiority complex
You stopped growing it, you stopped feeding it, you stopped chasing it
Gifts, talents, and ideas are living organisms. Their growth is directly proportional to the attention we give to them. No gift will survive in the absence of considerable attention and nurturing. If it stopped growing, you stopped feeding it. This is not a part-time vocation. You will not attend to it only when you are chanced, available, happy, lucky, inspired, or rich. You will attend to it every day. Gifts shrink, talent rusts, and ideas become outdated. The assumption that you can come to it whenever you feel is dangerous.
Your talent is a living thing. Skills require constant practice. A few years ago when I played the acoustic guitar. Whenever I rehearsed frequently, my fingers were flexible and glided over the guitar board easily. I discovered new notes and played artistically each time.
After a while, I gained admission into the university. I didn't take my box guitar along with me because I wanted to focus on my studies. After six months, my guitar finally got to me in Minna and my fingers had become stiffened and rigid. The only place I played smoothly was in my mind. Ease of play had become mere imagination and visualization. I played like a rookie who was just learning to play basic notes. Lack of daily practice, commitment wastes investments and past success. It stiffens mastery and takes us miles backward.
Daily commitment and growth stretches us, refine us and keep our minds buzzing with ideas.
Truly, we find time for what is important to us. I do not oversimplify the demands of your schedule but I know you can find a way even if it's just a little time. I am currently writing to you in the narrow space between early morning and work. The value and virtue I'm sharing will not flow if I don’t dam it. I begged for 40 minute permissio n from the kitchen, I will make it up for her later. The idea is, whatever your service, business, talent, you will find time if it is important to you. And if you don't find time for that gift, you will lose it.
With each visit, talents grow a new stem, with each commitment, a new vista appears. That seemingly tiny thing will outgrow its little casing if you keep growing it. Everything lies in your hand. Have a blessed week and breakthrough from within.
©Abiola Iyiola,2025
Principal, AI Leadership Consult
Photo Credit: Alfo Medeiros
It's how I always look forward to when your letters would hit my mail.
This was in its best an eye opener,as to why i no longer do the things i always once went crazy for. Thank you, sir.
Thank you for this series, sir.
I am at the point where everything is overwhelming for me, I wake up to long schedules and barely have time to do a personal task or work on any skill. I just rest when I can and sleep off as soon as my back touches the bed.