I confess I had never heard of soccer sensation Miro Rys until this article in the Wall Street Journal. However, I was struck by his story of talent, success and maturity.

Tragically, he never saw his 21st birthday, but three things stood out to me about his brief life.

1. A coach noticed his unique gifts and encouraged him to focus his natural talents.

Wayne Justmann, a physical education teacher and coach at Morton East High School, spotted the slender 14-year-old carrying a soccer ball on the first day of classes in 1972 and soon placed him on the varsity team.

One day after practice, Justmann pulled him aside. “I said, ‘Where do you want to take this? He said, ‘I know the importance of a college education, but I think I can go pro,’ ” Justmann said.

Find other people who are already successful, experienced and passionate about what you want to do. Reach out to those people and learn from them. The value of a great mentor can’t be overstated.

2. He spent his short life growing, developing and living his innate talents.

“He couldn’t understand why he wasn’t starting over Georgie Best,” recalled Terry Fisher, the Aztecs’ coach. “He had that kind of confidence in his ability—there was no reason he shouldn’t play, no matter who was on the field.”

Discover your God-given talents. They are your personal gift to the world. At first, they may not seem as obvious as those of a gifted young soccer star. However, you must take the time to understand and develop them.

Then, focus your talents so they become strengths you use on a daily basis. If you don’t, you are not only you hurting yourself, but the world will be a lesser place. Own your talents!

3. He lived with humility and gratitude.

Miro was something of a media darling. Asked whether he thought himself a star, he insisted otherwise. “My teammates don’t let me get a big head,” he said. “They call me ‘Superstar’ and things like that. I just say, ‘Oh, come on.’ ”

Despite being called “the best young soccer player in America,” Rys remained humble and grateful for his opportunity to play professional soccer.

Isn’t the humble, servant leader an amazing thing to witness? Humility and gratitude are incredibly powerful. Sadly, we too often see leaders fail their teams by acting all-knowing, not admitting mistakes and grabbing credit for success that isn’t earned.

I am blessed to have several mentors in my life who share similar traits with Miro Rys’ example. Each of my mentors has gained encouragement and wisdom from older, wiser, trusted advisors. Each of my mentors understand, continually develop and use their natural talents on a daily basis. Each of my mentors live humbly, gratefully and with a servant leader’s heart.

Who knows how much Rys would’ve accomplished in the world of soccer had he lived longer? We will never know, but he did the most he could with the time he had. I hope others are inspired by his too-short, well-lived life.

Connect with strong mentors, own your unique talents and walk with a humble heart.

Please say hello when you get a chance at hello@strengthslauncher.com. We’d love to hear from you!

Have an amazing day!

DW