When we think of talent, we usually think of some extraordinary achievement, whether in art music, sports, etc. – as if talent is this invisible, special gift some people have, denied to the rest of us.
“Nobody can teach you that!”
Of course it’s easy to make that statement, especially when we see an accomplishment in a split moment in time without considering the thousands of hours of practice that went into it.
In her book “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance” author Angela Duckworth contends these extraordinary achievements can be “broken down to its component skills, each of which is quite ordinary and doable, and they can be practiced and practiced.”
What talent does, she argues, is it allows you to develop your skills quicker – but you still have to put in the time and effort to develop them.
You must practice!
Duckworth found that talented achievers practiced differently. Not only do they have a long term plan, which requires patience, perseverance and belief, but they also put in hours and hours of “deliberate, solitary practice.” This practice is full of mistakes because they concentrate on the things they do not do well. They challenge themselves.
And they do this ON THEIR OWN, without someone asking them to do it, because they are passionate about it.
Or, as Kevin Durant once said, “I probably spend 70 percent of my time by myself, working on my game.”
Talent is one thing. What you do with it is another!
