Adam LaFavre-Unlocking the Hidden Talent of Others

1. Q & A with Adam LaFavre – Unlocking the Hidden Talents of Others
Q: What lessons have you found are most important for young people?
Adam LaFavre: The greatest reward is to identify one’s gifts and talents, and then be
able to build a career around those gifts and talents. If people are succeeding in their
particular field, they are more than likely doing something they love.
Q: How have you shared this message with family and friends?
Adam LaFavre: I always tell my children, “Never choose a career to make money;
choose something because it is a passion you love. The money will then follow.” The
peace and joy that comes from doing something that was imprinted within your soul is
fulfilling and rewarding in and of itself.
Q: What examples have you come across in your experience?
Adam LaFavre: I’m reminded of the story about Agostino di Ducio, who had abandoned
a sculpture he had started nearly a half-century earlier. Along came a new artist named
Michelangelo who saw something within that stone that others had not. He began
chiseling the 18-foot block of marble and it consumed nearly four years of his life.
Michelangelo chiseled away at the marble, which he called “Immagine del cuore” or
image of the heart. He believed that all he had to do was remove the excess marble so
David could escape. Throughout this process, Michelangelo held the unique ability to
look at the marble piece and not see what it was, but rather what it could become.
Q: How can people in today’s society maintain this attitude?
Adam LaFavre: There is something special inside of each person, and sometimes it
requires removing everything that doesn’t belong to get to where you need to go. For
years, I have been able to walk into a room of people and see what may be lying
dormant within someone.
Q: What’s the most rewarding aspect of this examination?
Adam LaFavre: Helping someone else discover who they are will always be an ultimately
fulfilling end result. Leading people toward these discoveries can often grant us deeper
understanding of who we are as well.