“We’re not retiring, we’re retooling”(TM)Hitting the 60′s has been a lot of fun and a real challenge in many ways.Probably the single biggest event is that I started throwing the discus again after a hiatus of 41 years. It is in Masters Track and Field.If you read my article from last Fall I mentioned that I injured my ankle early on which hampered me all last season (’07) and carried over to this season ’08.Then at the Eastern Regional Championships on July 19th, I did the thing I told everyone not to do, I tore that tendon. That brought an abrupt end to my track season.For all of you aficionados, it is the right Posterior Tibialis Tendon. I hadn’t done anything to repair it hoping that it would take care of itself. It didn’t, so now I am in rehab at the Sports Medicine department of the Cleveland Clinic.This injury has made me think a lot about the natural Talents that we all have but many of us don’t use. Or, like me, we wait until late in life to use them. There are a variety of reasons why we do this and I will address those reasons in detail in future articles.My overall thinking on this topic includes the three elements that seem to make successful use of Talent. They are covered by the acronym T.I. M. which stands for Talent, Inspiration, and Motivation.Very briefly I mean that we must identify the Talent, have an external power called Inspiration that drives us to pursue that Talent, and then have the internal Motivation to develop the Talent.Every successful person I know follows these three elements and I will address them in much more detail in future articles as well as presentations I will give on the subject.The first element is the Talent. All of us are blessed with some innate Talent. It can be music, art, math, science, athletics, medicine something that we are driven to.We all know people who “just have a gift for….” That is you also.A lot of people never pursue their Talent. From my experience there are lots of reason why, which we will discuss in the future.For me I saw no future in it. Also, in college in the mid 60′s I let a lot of other things push it away. My natural Talent is discus throwing. I have no idea why or how. I just went out for track as a Freshman in High School and started throwing well. I had never held a discus before or even knew anything about the discus.I know people who sit a piano for the first time and start playing real music or a guitar or some other instrument.Some kids have a natural “bent” for science or math. Not because of their parents leading but simply due to the gift of Talent.I want to go into much more detail about each of these elements in future articles and speaking presentations, but for now focus on your talents.If you are using them, congratulations. If you are not, consider starting. It is never too late. What is it that you seem driven to do, but for some reason haven’t pursued?We will talk again soon.Bill Truax”We’re not retiring, we’re retooling” is the title of a series of articles and other communications by Bill Truax dealing with the baby boomer generation as it nears age 65.