TALENTS AND THEIR “ENCANTO” - Part 1

Do you see the world, people and yourself in the same way as other people? This was one of the questions answered by Disney's newest movie, Encanto.

In a very playful and engaging way, the feature, set in the fictional Colombian village that gives its name to the film, portrays the Madrigal family, residents of a magical house who were graced by a true miracle at a crucial moment in their lives and who witness the appearance of magical gifts on the fifth birthday of each new family member. Well… almost all of them.

Talented Family

Mirabel Madrigal, the protagonist, is the only heiress who hasn't been bestowed with a gift — or at least that's what we think at the beginning of the film (we'll try not to give too many spoilers!) Despite the high spirits and unparalleled connection with Casita (affectionately given name to the magic house) and with most of the characters in the story, Mirabel is treated as less special by her own family and comes to really believe she has no gift, especially when compared to the noted talents of others, such as her mother Julieta who has the gift of healing through delicacies and sweets, or like her cousin Dolores who can hear even the lowest whisper over long distances.

Any resemblance to our own lives is no mere coincidence. How many times have we exalted gifts and talents from other people without even knowing how to list our own? How many times have we thought that we have no talent at all?

The deficit mindset

This first identification with Mirabel is due to the fact that we are part of what we call the “Deficit Mindset”, that is, we constantly emphasize what we lack and what we are not, to the point of ignoring and devaluing what we do well. Mirabel even sings this with a lot of suffering in the song “Waiting on a miracle”:

“(...) I can't move the mountains

I can't make the flowers bloom

I can't take another night up in my room

Waiting on a miracle”

“I can't heal what's broken

Can't control the morning rain or a hurricane

Can't keep down the unspoken invisible pain

Always waiting on a miracle, a miracle”

Lenses and Filters

It's really hard to see our talents when we're trying to see the world through lenses that aren't ours. At least until we discover that all of us — without exception! —? have a unique set of lenses, filters through which we see the world around us in a unique way. According to Gallup, a leading American giant in People Analytics and Human Development, these filters are our Talents, that is, “recurring and natural patterns of feelings, thoughts and behaviors, which can be productively applied”. A recurring pattern because it is repeated throughout our lives in everything we feel, think and do; natural because it is spontaneous, almost intuitive, just like using our dominant hand in everyday tasks. But what is most intriguing about this Gallup definition of Talent is that they can be used productively. But they rarely are.

Drawing a parallel with the Madrigals, most family members have quite explicit gifts, but do not know how to use them efficiently and effectively, often following socially predetermined demands or reflecting projections from others. These situations are personified in the film by Mirabel's grandmother, Abuela Alma. Leader of the family and the village, the matriarch of the Madrigals, under the pretext of keeping the Miracle alive, imposes standards of action based on her own filters, which makes, for example, the immensely strong Luisa feel pressured and on the verge of a burnout, that the flowery Isabela always maintains a standard of perfection at the expense of her own tastes and dreams and even that her son Bruno ("WE DON’T TALK ABOUT BRUNO!") disappears. It's the omen for chaos!

Correcting the Lenses

With each member of the family acting alone and applying their talents in a haphazard way, the Miracle begins to “fail”, putting the Casita, its residents and the entire village that has always enjoyed these talents at risk. So it's up to Mirabel to have the heroic task of finding out what's wrong and finding a solution in time.

It may be a coincidence or even a brilliant idea by the writers (I'd bet on the second option!), but Mirabel is one of the only characters who wears glasses in the entire movie. I imagine that in addition to being a connection with the non-magical side of the family (the other character is her father), such accessory serves as a metaphor for someone who corrects ocular distortions and is able to see her relatives with her own lens and the way tey truly are.

We are all brilliant!

As difficult as it may seem, looking inside who we really are — what we call self-knowledge — is the key to understanding our Talents and, consequently, our role and mission in our lives, families and communities. And with the right tools — for example Gallup's CliftonStrengths? and a good Strengths based coaching session — it is possible not only to discover and name these Talents, but mainly to apply them productively, excellently and intentionally.

Right at the opening of the film, Mirabel already sang the hint:?

“This is our home

We've got every generation

So full of music

A rhythm of its own design

This is my family

A perfect constellation

So many stars and everybody gets to shine.”

If we think of our gifts and talents as the points of a star, the way to make that star bigger and bigger is to invest our time and resources in growing each of those points, not filling the gaps between them. This way, we’ll find more and more our unique way of shining and we’ll see the world through our own lens.

Do you already know what your lenses are?Tell us in the comments what they are!

In Part 2 of this text, we will talk more about how to break this paradigm of focusing only on gaps and start developing what we already have that is good and natural.

Until then! ??

Rebecca and Vinicius Rios (AKA the Strengths Couple)

Gallup Certified Strengths Coaches

@rebeccamrios