Natural Born Talent Does Not Exist
“Learning isn’t a way of reaching one’s potential but rather a way of developing it. We can create our own potential. And this is true whether our goal is to become a concert pianist or just play the piano well enough to amuse ourselves, to join the PGA golf tour or just bring our handicaps down a few strokes.” - Anders Ericsson & Robert Pool - Peak
The idea that natural born talent exists is borderline insulting to every athlete that’s put in the work. This idea was probably created by a lazy person looking for an excuse to explain why they’re not on the top of the food chain.
Science has proven that even if a person is physically gifted (Lebron James) they still have to put in an extraordinary amount of work to expose their capabilities. Nothing is handed to anyone. Talent is created. It’s a skillset earned through deliberate practice, quality coaching, and a supportive environment. The skillset only looks “natural” after an extensive amount of practice.
What about that whole child prodigy thing? Science has proven there’s no such thing as the 7 year old child prodigy that was born an amazing tennis player. That kid put in the work to be great. They’ve put in thousands more repetitions than their peers. They have a great coach and supportive family that put the child in a position to improve. They love the game more than anything and will take advantage of every opportunity to get better.
“Specifically, the music-education students had practiced on average of 3,420 hours on the violin by the time they were eighteen, the better violin students had practiced on average of 5,301 hours, and the best violin students had practiced on average of 7,410 hours.”
Practice practice practice they say. And they are correct. If someone is better than you, they’re probably just working more than you. I haven’t encountered any cases where a highly motivated tennis player was working hard with enough repetitions that they were getting worse. The better players just put in more and better quality work.
So take a deep look at yourselves kids. Are you practicing the right way, with a coach that pushes you and an environment that supports you? Does the fire inside you burn large enough to skip another weekend with friends so you can continue to get better? Because if you’re not doing the scientifically proven things to succeed then be honest with yourself instead of using the lazy excuse like lack of talent. You control your future. Get out there and take ownership of your skills. Go create your talent.