The Talent Myth

[Aen Elderberry]

My brother told me about Gym Jones.  They were responsible for getting the cast of 300 in top physical condition.  I read this article on their site and thought it applied to writing.  Tell me what you think.

(from http://www.gymjones.com/knowledge.php?id=26)

TALENT

The Talent Myth

BY SCOTT SEMPLE

"My mother said to me, 'If you are a soldier, you will become a general. If you are a monk, you will become the Pope.' Instead, I was a painter, and became Picasso."

A friend and training mentor once told me, "The secret of the pros is that they train in secret." For a while that made sense. It seemed that where performance is highly optimized -- and where optimization is highly coveted -- it would make sense that methodology would be closely guarded.

But secret methodology is the province of world-class athletes; not of participants; nor of enthusiasts. Most people -- if sufficiently motivated, and if unencumbered by lame excuses that they assign to genetics -- want to know the secret that distinguishes the pros from themselves. The real "secret" of the fit, the fast and the "talented" is no secret at all; it's a much harder pill (than genetics) to swallow. And no one will accept it because of what it demands: real commitment in the form of regular, consistent, indefinite practice. And real practice demands devotion.

THE PROS TRAIN. And they train consistently and indefinitely. In other words, they commit.

People love to say that they don't train (or practice or study...) They think it makes their mediocre performance more impressive. Or they use a hero as an example, saying he or she doesn't practice either. But the truth is that anyone who becomes really world-class good at anything has devoted a large part of their lives to that thing -- often to the exclusion of all else. They may not call it "training" or "practice;" the actual labels are irrelevant. It's the time spent that counts.

"Practice" and "training" are not timelines and diet plans -- although those are effective parts of it. Real training means committing to the process: showing up at the keyboard or behind the lens or in the ring or on the rope, and doing it religiously, even when you're tired, even when you've got nothing to say, even when it's too cold, too hot, too hard.

People wish they had talent. They see it as a practice-free ticket to crowd-stunning skill. But talent doesn't exist. "Talent" doesn't get results; practice and devotion do.

Was Picasso gifted from birth with the talent to become an artistic genius? Or was he gifted with the tenacity to become a genius at anything? As he wobbled down the street on his first bicycle, did his mother see her son's uncommon ability, or his uncommon focus and determination? What led her to predict that he would be great? Was he out-of-the-womb a brilliant finger-painter? Or was he just stubborn?

[Tink]

I agree to that I think 95%. I think that some people are more apt to do certain things well and have a knack or talent for something, but I agree completely that if you don't commit to that talent, then nothing will come from it. For example, Tiger Woods has played golf since age 2 and has been completely committed to it. He wouldn't be where he is now without the many hours of practice. Yet some may look at him and say, "Why can't I play golf that well? He's so young. Why couldn't I have his talent?" They don't see the hours and hours of practice, committing to learning the techniques and getting better.

I think that people think how great it would be to be great at something, but it really comes down to whether you're willing to put your whole heart and effort into it and sacrifice whatever is needed to be successful. If not, then you'll only be mediocre at best.

I used to want to be an author, but when I realized that I didn't have a passion for it and wasn't willing to put in the effort or time needed to get good enough, I gave it up. I didn't see any point in putting effort into something I was only going to mediocre with. If I enjoyed it enough and had enough passion for it, then I would've gone the other direction--putting myself completely into it (the way EUOL has done, first by committing to write at his job every moment he could and now by doing it full time. Just the fact that he wrote novel after novel before he had written something good enough to publish I think shows his commitment).

I also think a lot of people are scared to put their whole heart into it because they think they're "putting all their eggs in one basket." They think, "If I commit myself completely to this or that and I'm not good enough, then where will I be?" I can understand that concern, but I think it keeps us at mediocre.

I'm not sure if this applies, but it reminds me of the quote by Marianne Williamson:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

[42]

I tend to think talent is a myth.

However, people are born with different abilities. To be fair, not everyone is born with the ability to dance, play music, or write. Some people are born unable to walk, some are deaf, and others can never learn to read. Talent is really a combination of opportunity and work. Many people are presented with the opportunity to become great writers, artists, etc..., but few actually put in the work such opportunities present. Often there is a price for developing talents, a price that is not the same for everyone. And some never get the opportunity to begin with.

For example, my supervisor at work is a talented educated. She is also a talented musician. She has had opportunity to develop both skills. However, the two skills compete with each other for her time and energy. So she can remain mediocre in both skills or she can choose to sacrifice her potential in one skill in order to develop the other.

If I wanted to become a great musician, I would have to sacrafice a lot in order to do so. I have very little background in music, and have at least one problem that interferes with my hearing. In order to create the opportunities to become a great musician, I would have to devote a lot of time and energy. And that all still depends on me be able to meet the right people, maintaining sufficient health, and other factors that are not entirely in my control.

For a child in Rwanda, or some other third world country, the opportunity to become a great musician is not likely to ever present itself.

[Aen Elderberry]

. . . putting myself completely into it (the way EUOL has done, first by committing to write at his job every moment he could and now by doing it full time. Just the fact that he wrote novel after novel before he had written something good enough to publish I think shows his commitment).

I think of EUOL in this case as well.  He has talent but the real reason he's published is his commitment.

And I love the Marianne Williamson quote.  Seems like I heard that years ago attributed to Nelson Mandella.  Mandella probably just quoted it in his inaugural address.   

42 makes good points as well.  Perhaps we can modify Edison's formula  "Genius is one per cent inspiration, ninety-nine per cent perspiration."   Something like "Getting published is 1% talent and 99% keeping your butt in the chair."

Another relevant quote by Calvin Coolidge:  "Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race. "

I think there are other factors like humility - willingness to learn from feedback and recognize your weakness -- and faith -- believing that you can over come those weaknesses and succeed.  But the main requirement seems to be hard work.   And that stinks 'cause I can be so awfully lazy.