Talent does not exist, only hard work does. Yes, there are favorable circumstances like being 6'4" or growing up in a family that never drank soda and cooked well every night, but talent, as you and I think of it, does not exist.
The Research:
In the book "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell, positive circumstances of "talented" people are outlined, such as the uncanny amount of professional hockey players born close to the cut-off date. He explains that at a young age if you are at the top of your age group, (as in the oldest of the younger kids rather than the youngest of the older kids), you tend to look better on the ice, leading to more attention, leading to more practice, and leading to more success. People outside of the know would term this "talent."
Spinning off of this same idea, Gladwell talks about the 10,000-hour rule where he concludes that everyone who becomes an "expert" or the best in their field has spent a total of 10,000 hours of practice. He looks at Bill Gates and The Beatles. He carefully tracks back the history of these incredible people before they hit the spotlight and realized that the amount of time spent perfecting their craft was right around 10,000 hours. Bill Gates joined one of the first computer clubs of his time, he snuck into colleges to practice, he spent all his time studying computers. The Beatles were together for years before they came to the United States, they played at clubs for 12 hours straight for days across the sea where no one knew who they were. All clocking 10,000 hours.
So what's the point?
Again, talent does not exist. Do not let people belittle your accomplishments by using that word - talent. You worked hard to become who you are. A lot of people like to tell me that I naturally athletic or I am lucky to have an athletic build. That is low-key insulting because it takes away from last 13 years of hard work. People also use "talent" as an excuse to be lazy.
"He's just naturally fit, I will never get that way."
Well, you work out once a week and spend the rest of your time eating. He played football for nine years. If you want to get the same build, you need to put in that work.
"She's just a smart girl, I will never get straight A's."
Well, she hasn't gone on a date since 2004 - every weekend she spends 10 hours on homework and studying.
"They are just naturally skinny"
They didn't have cable in their house until the fourth grade, they didn't eat McDonald's until they were six, they used to play outside until the lights came on, they grew up playing every sport in the book, they never had desert, dinner was one course, they never drank soda, and if they finished the first cup of juice, their dad made them drink water. See my point?
People! This article is good news. The power lies within your hands. If your dream is to be Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson big, just understand how many years he worked versus how many years you haven't and the effort required. However, I guarantee, if you work out consistently for 10 years you will see some sort of impressive difference.
Talent does not exist, but favorable circumstances do. You cannot control how your parents raised you in the habits of your past, but lucky for you, if you're reading this, you have control of your future. You may not be the tallest of your pack but if you love basketball, you know what to do. You may not have the best study habits but if you want straight A's, you know what to do.
Watch, someday someone's going to be like "Wow, Wes, you're lucky you're such a talented business man." I will think back to the 4 years of college, the long nights of studying, and the hellish tests, roll my eyes and say "Thank you."
