Talent is not God

Part 2

Yes, sure people say the phrase, “God given talent” and there are some people who seem to have an inexplicable ability in a certain task. This is rare. Just because something is rare does not make it superior. It’s just unusual. In today’s world - people worship the unusual. Talent is fantastic and I am in no way belittling it or making it less profound or spiritual. However, most often what we call “talent” is actually a product of deep interest, some ability and a lot of purposeful practice or an intense (sometimes obsessive) habit of doing an activity repetitively. It usually a task a person enjoys the process of doing. It is so fun or interesting that it becomes an important activity in their life. Some people might say they enjoy basketball and play everyday but they are no good at it. So talent must be something more. Well, first off you have to have some ability. You also have to meet the basic requirements. For example 95% of people who play basketball are very tall. You might name someone who isn’t but that person might have an incredible amount of talent (which is unusual) while the majority of the rest of the players have ability, height and targeted practice. Targeted practice or goals is important. There needs to be constant examination and analysis on improving and increasing skill. Focus on skill building and improving is so important.

There is a place in the world for prodigy, talent and passion. Many people develop a skill or ability into a talent because of their passion. Therefore if you love something but you aren’t amazingly talented - through practice and time, your passion can reveal an ability in you. Like the sculptor chipping away at the store. I think talent is lovely but if you really feel moved to do something and you don’t have an amazing talent initially but have some skill - you should try to develop it and see what you might achieve. I think it’s important to be driven by passion, not innate talents alone.