Today’s Brilliance from Kelly Taylor

My achievements in the world of music have opened countless opportunities to partner with charities and not-for-profit organizations. Realizing that my music is a gift to be used for good is incredibly important. I have embraced the responsibility of using my talents to create positive experiences for as many people as possible.

My favorite concerts are when I can be a part of a group effort that is working to make the world a little brighter for others. It is awesome to be able to distract people from their troubles with my music and see their faces light up or know I have helped in some small way.

I am a member of a group of high school students, called the Thread Heads, that knit hats, scarves, headbands, ties, and beards (yes, beards, they are great for winter) and sell them to help with the fight against aids in South Africa. Last year we started selling Thread Heads with my regular merchandise at big concerts. This has made a big difference in the amount of help we are able to give to the effort.

Even when it is not for “Thread Heads” or another charity event, this whole music ordeal that has so wonderfully taken over my life, serves a bigger purpose than just my enjoyment. When I was young I did not decide to be a singer… I just sang. It was just what I did. When I started playing guitar, it was not so that I could write songs, but somehow… I did.

I was not born with this passion for music and art instilled in me for no reason. God gave me these gifts and passions to go out into the world and use them to bring light into the darkness! I can’t paint a picture of a landscape or bake a creme brulee or run a mile in four minutes, but someone else can.

It’s their job to embrace those gifts and use them to their fullest potential so that everyone can see the goodness and purity that points to the one true artist who created it all.

Each person has talents, passions, and gifts created in them for a reason. If we keep those hidden, or if we use them only for our own benefit, how can anyone else be blessed by them? How can anyone else see the light? Light doesn’t brighten only one thing, but everything it reaches. If each of us can embrace the specific gifts created in us, we can light up the world.

So whatever you do, do it with all your heart so you can make the difference in the world that you are meant to make. And don’t be an island with your gift, join in with the efforts of others, be a part, give freely!