The deception of talent

How many times do we hear about talent? How many times have we heard that certain results can only be obtained if equipped with a particular talent? Let's try to make a micro analysis of 2 super samples.

Take for example the first great champion: Cristiano Ronaldo. Blessed by the Lord with an incredible talent? Probably ... perhaps we should remind us of his obsession with everything you need to be the best. His teammates from Sporting Lisbon, for example, tell about how, sometimes, they found him alone in the middle of the night to train in the gym . Or we could talk about his 3,000 abdominals per day, or all exercise and the rigorous diet that allow him to have the vital parameters of a twenty year old (aged 34 today).

We find another example in the Ultra Trail world, the mountain race over long distances: His Majesty Kilian Jornet, probably the strongest Utrarunner ever. Can we say that he too is an oily of the Lord? Probably yes, but even in this case we should take a look at his statistics. In 2018 he trained for over 800 hours, with a total of almost 465,000 meters of positive altitude difference (over 50 times the Everest). If we calculate that Kilian last year was stopped for 3 months due to 3 different injuries (in fact it was a year in which it trained little ...) we can see that the very strong Catalan athlete trained on average 3 hours a day .

"Don't tell me how much talent you own, tell me how hard work."

Arthur Rubinstein

Nowadays we are literally submerged by the so -called talent shows. Shows of all kinds that, in various shapes and various ways, do nothing but spread a precise message: to be successful you must have talent .

This fact, let's say things as they are, makes us a great convenient: it raises us from the responsibility of giving us to do. We are led to believe that we will never be able to achieve certain results because we have no talent . What great comfort, isn't it? We can bask in our lukewarm broth by convincing ourselves that in order to do extraordinary things we should have supernatural qualities.

The good news (which in reality for many people proves to be bad news ...) is that it is not true. All we have to do is make decisions and commit ourselves . Define our priorities and arm us with the discipline necessary to remain faithful to our choices, to keep the promises we make to ourselves.

"Nothing in the world can replace tenacity. Talent cannot do it: there is nothing more common than men full of talented but without success. The genius cannot do it: the misunderstood genius is almost proverbial. Education cannot do it: the world is full of educated derelict. Tenacity and determination instead are omnipotent."

Calvin Coolidge

So here are 3 practical tips to defend themselves from the deception of talent:

1. Decide what is really important for you , define your priorities; Write everything on a sheet, formalize your choices, make a commitment with yourself
2. Decide 3 things you can do, 3 practical actions that you can do every day to maintain consistency with the priorities you have defined
3. Enjoy the journey knowing that you will stumble, stagger and that you will fall; Raised every time with the awareness that the real success lies in the person you become while I commit yourself to achieve your purpose

"Most people enter the tomb without ever having sung the music inside."

Steve Chandler

I wish you a splendid journey, which allows you to discover the music you have inside and that deserves to be sung!