Talent is overrated

Talent is everywhere these days. Talent shows are huge on television, and whenever someone does something extraordinary, talent is immediately mentioned.

As a Coach , I am convinced that talent is overrated , while other essential characteristics for those who want to make a difference are undervalued.

A story of (little) talent

We're in the United States, around the mid-1980s. A 17-year-old boy falls in love with rock and the guitar. He decides to become a guitarist despite the evidence clearly indicating that, unfortunately for him, he has very little talent.

Tom, that's our friend's name, keeps going regardless, regardless of his poor results. Despite his great determination, he sometimes can't hide his frustration, until one day a friend of his reveals a secret to him: "Practice for an hour every day. Whatever happens, play the guitar for an hour. You'll see, you'll improve that way."

Tom decides to follow the advice, and indeed, improvements are not long in coming. One day, the boy asks himself a question: "What if I played two hours a day instead of just one?"

No sooner said than done. The improvements are exponential, and after a while another question arises in Tom's thoughts: "What if instead of 2 hours a day I played 3?"

He'll continue at this pace until he's dedicating a full eight hours a day to his guitar. Yes, you read that right: Tom practices guitar eight hours a day. Even when he's sick, even when his studies force him to prioritize his studies (Tom, in fact, is a university student).

His old schoolmates remember an episode: it was around 2 a.m., and the next day there was an important exam. Tom, to make matters worse, was sick. “Tom, it's 2 a.m., you have a fever of 102 degrees, and you have an exam tomorrow morning!” His response was, “I still have two hours of guitar to go!”

Time passes, Tom has now become an excellent guitarist, a professional musician, and soon after will found the band that will revolutionize the world of rock: Rage Against the Machine . I'm talking about Tom Morello , a kid with little talent who started playing at 17 (perhaps a little late for a rock legend...) and who, thanks to his commitment and determination, has written an important page in rock history, earning a place among the best guitarists of all time.

Take action!

Here are 3 practical tips that will help you protect yourself from talent deception:

• Decide what is truly important to you , define your priorities; write everything down on a piece of paper, formalize your decisions and make a commitment to yourself.
• Define 3 things you can do, 3 practical actions you can take every day to maintain consistency with the priorities you have defined
• Enjoy the journey knowing that you will stumble, falter, and fall; get up each time with the knowledge that true success lies in the person you become as you strive to achieve your purpose.

Now you may be wondering, “Should I pursue something I feel talented in, or should I pursue something I love even if I have no talent whatsoever?”

The three keys to success are determination, commitment, and consistency, and the best way to put them into practice is to pursue something we're both talented at (i.e., talented at) and passionate about. Otherwise, remember that it's easier to be determined, committed, and consistent in something we enjoy even if we're not , rather than pursuing something we're talented at but aren't passionate about.

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