When it comes to talent, we think that this world is divided into two- talented and non-talented people.
You are either talented or you’re not.
And if you’re not, there’s nothing much you can do about it.
So we go on with our lives.
We grow up. We take jobs.
We come back home, think of what to have for dinner, look after our kids, watch TV and carry on with our lives repeating it every day.
None of it is bad.
These are all very important parts of our everyday lives, but occasionally we come across people or see someone who is exceptionally good at dancing, acting, singing, etc.
They light up a spark in us.
“Wow! She’s so talented”, we say to ourselves.
And then we go back to our most common wish/regret, “If only I had that much talent”
Or sometimes we may even feel a tinge of jealousy when we see someone who has made it.
We become critical of his/her accomplishments and do not try to acknowledge them.
We say, “But he’s not that good”,
“I could do better than him”
And it is here that I want to share what I have now come to learn about talent.
And it is this- Talent is not everything. Hard work is. Audacity is.
Talent grows by being used
Table of Contents
Talent is like a garden. It grows by watering it daily and continuously, but withers if it’s not taken care of.
If it was only for talent, Beyonce wouldn’t have needed hours of rehearsal.
The swimmer who won the Olympic medal wouldn’t have needed hours of practice.
The greatest standup comedian wouldn’t have needed hours of scripting and rehearsing.
In one of the interviews, the writer of the book, The Book Thief which has been now translated into 40 different languages, sold more than 8 million copies, and has been on New York’s best-sellers list for over 200 weeks said, he rewrote the first part of his book 200 times.
The great basketball player Kobe Bryant would always be the first to arrive and last to leave. He would show up for the scheduled 7 a.m. practice at 5 a.m. and work harder than anybody.
We think talent is all it takes to be successful, but the truth is- talent is what takes the least.
We only need talent in the beginning- to find out what we are ‘even a little bit’ good at than the rest.
After finding that out, it then all comes down to hard work, dedication, practice and determination.
To put it simply, here is a pie chart of it.
2. Audacity is more important than talent
I hear so many people disregard other people’s successes, their work, and their lives and criticise them.
Earlier I used to join them in their criticism, but now I mostly keep shut and instead feel immense respect for them.
Success as now I see it is not only a matter of talent, but more of audacity.
I know so many people who are talented- talented at making people laugh, talented at making music, talented in writing, talented in singing, but they don’t do anything much about it. They just keep it to themselves.
Whereas I see many who may be, that they are less talented than others, but they had the audacity to go after it.
They were brave and audacious enough to go after their heart’s calling.
They had the audacity to say yes to the grit, the determination, the hard work, the practice and even the criticism that they might encounter.
And for this, they all deserve respect and appreciation.
Whereas the critics are only playing safe.
I recently watched the documentary of the trending Punjabi Singer ‘A.P- Dillion- First of a Kind’ and I loved how they all went after their crazy dreams and made it a reality.
So, yes, talent IS needed, but talent is mostly born only ‘After’ and not ‘before’. After the dedication, after the hard work, after the determination and and not before it.
As Richard Schmid puts it.
“Don’t bother about whether or not you have it. Just assume that you do and forget about it. Talent is a word we use after someone has become accomplished”
I want to end by saying that, all of us are talented in one thing or the other.
There can’t be that God forgot to put any seeds of talent in you. It just can’t.
If you find out what you are naturally good at even just a bit, or that which you’re naturally drawn to, that is your talent and if we only have the audacity to go after it, that is how we slowly close the gap between what we are and what we could be.
I hope we have the audacity to go after it.
The world needs more talented people- people who are talented in making a difference in the world in whatever way they choose.
P.S This was a part from my Mindful Monday Newsletter. If you liked what you read and want to receive my updates, join below. It would be wonderful to have you ❤️
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