Thursday, December 30, 2010

On Talent

If you can't excel with talent, triumph with effort.
Dave Weinbaum


Talent is cheaper than table salt.
What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.
Stephen King


However great a man's natural talent may be, the act of writing cannot be learned all at once.
Jean Jacques Rousseau


I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious
Albert Einstein

Use what talent you possess
the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.
Henry VanDyke


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I don’t know for sure if there is something real that we can call talent. Maybe there is, maybe there isn’t. What is sure is that there are people debating for one option or the other, and being very adamant about their beliefs.

For me, if there is such a thing as talent, it is the ability to make the best use of your time, when doing something you deeply care about, by engaging in regular practice, study and dedication. Talent is also seeking help from people who are where you want to be, because the experience of someone who is more experienced than you is one of the most valuable assets you can find. Finally, talent is not giving up when faced with difficulties. Talent, in other words, is the ability to focus, work hard, seek guidance and not give up.

I believe that these are qualities that we all have. I believe that all of us can focus our efforts on regular study and practice. I believe that we can all look for help from those more experienced than we are. Finally I believe that we can all find the courage necessary to not give up in front of difficulty. Therefore, I believe that talent is something we all have. All we need to do is decide to use these abilities, decide to nurture them and allow them to grow rather than leave them unused and ignored.

Talent is overrated. Believing that talent alone could do the job, is a falsity. Study, practice and focusing on specific projects - that is the key. Study under the guidance of someone who is where you want to be; regular practice with a subject that you are passionate about; specific focus on projects that you care about and that are important for you and that you want to complete.


In closing, I want to say this: What matters most is not where we are right now. It is not the skills we have today or the images we are able to create right now or the writings we are able to invent. What matters most is: what we believe about ourselves. Why? Because it is this belief that will determine what we can become, what we can achieve in the future. It is this belief that will shape the road ahead, it is this belief that will influence which path you are going to take.



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