Growing up LDS I think a good majority of us were "forced" to do things that we just weren't good at doing. For example- I had to sing in the ward choir and in YW's choir's for years and when I sing I sound like a dying cat. It's pretty bad. No matter how much I tried or practiced or had faith that I would do better...I sucked!!! Then all of the YW and Releif Society goals, projects, etc I never found my niche. I tried to can food, scrap book, sew, crochet, knit, cross stitch, cake decorate...I tried all of the talents Mormonism offered me. I failed at every single one. It took leaving the church to find what I'm good at- what I LOVE doing for the sake of doing it for me. And you know what? I'm damn good at some stuff that I never would have figured out otherwise.

Have any of you discovered hidden talents since leaving?

Yes, mine is making snarky comments online

<snort>

You really shouldn't encourage me...

It seems like a lot of mormon kids are forced to learn how to play the piano. I'm certain it's because they need to ensure always having a piano player at church meetings/functions. ;-)

mothermayeye Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It seems like a lot of mormon kids are forced to
> learn how to play the piano. I'm certain it's
> because they need to ensure always having a piano
> player at church meetings/functions. ;-)


I was one of those kids. Hated it.

And never once let on in seminary that I knew how since I saw what happened to those poor smucks...

Smart decision! ;-)

Yes, I always wanted to be a Writer. I know full well that if I'd remained a TBM, that would never have happened.

My mother tried to force me to play the piano. She couldn't take it, and finally gave up. I have a lot of talents, music isn't one of them.

I could do all the RS stuff, but it seemed so juvenile and silly to me. I've taken art workshops from some of the best, I've taken gourmet cooking classes. I had my own florist business. I was light years ahead of the junk they were doing.

You would think they would call me to be homemaking leader with all those skills. They did. The problem came when I told them I didn't have the ability to teach people to produce something out of thin air, and I wasn't going to foot the bill. After all, I'd spent a lot of money learning the things I know how to do.

The bishop suggested i just demo how to do things. I told I wasn't doing that, because it's a waste of everyone's time. These are the types of things that you need to do hands on, or you don't learn it.

They weren't about to give me more than $10 to teach 30 people to turn out a gourmet meal. The bishop was shocked when I told him the oil I used cost more than that. He was clueless. He told me I needed to learn how to use a budget. I just laughed, and told him I knew how to be poor. That didn't take much talent, you just do what you have to do to survive. I wasn't interested in teaching anyone how to be poor. The church is stinking rich, and they needed to teach the members how to live with a little class and enjoy some of the nice things in life. That encourages people to aspire to greater heights.

He couldn't get a grasp on my thinking. He really lost it when I told I thought our RS should do a cultural exchange with a RS in Hawaii. My thinking was just a little too over the top for him.

I'm pretty good at all that stuff. Things I didn't have time for as a morgbot.

I noticed this with my ex-wife... she had a bunch of "hobbies" (almost exactly what OP mentioned) that she didn't really enjoy. I realized that it was what she thought others expected her to enjoy doing.

She's so focused on what she thinks she is "supposed to do" that she doesn't put any energy into discovering or doing what she would actually enjoy.

"Have any of you discovered hidden talents since leaving?"

You bet I have! Thinking. Thinking is the biggest hidden talent that I have discovered. I was drafted into the church at birth ... was born into an x-generation mormon family (both sides). I was just following the herd and would have thrown myself off the cliff with them if that's what they'd have decided to do.