I think talent is probably overrated.
Talent is fixed mindset. You’re born with it, it’s in your genes, it’s a gift.
Practice is growth mindset. Anyone can learn, put in the work, practice hard, and get better. It takes drive, and some people start out with advantages, but talent isn’t required.
Talent exists, sure. Some people are naturals. But we overestimate its impact. I think much of what we see as talent is actually motivation. When you want something so much that you work day and night at it, that’s hugely powerful, more than anything in your genes. (And maybe that is in your genes!)
@snarfed.org Talent talk is negative in so many different ways. Talent is used to diminish the value of hard work. Talent is used as a cover for privilege. Talent is used as an excuse for not trying.
@snarfed.org I’d say hard work is not a root cause. Of you do hard work on something, you temove other things. Depending on what what motivates, this might be useful or not. And if you throw issues with focus to the mix, it ends up mostly luck and some grind.
@snarfed.org Seth Godin’s “The Practice: Shipping Creative Work” takes these ideas and runs with them. Or, at least, goes on a pleasant amble with them.
I don’t have any talents, but I’m good at a fair number of things. Because I practiced them. A lot.
In fact being more aware of your talent gaps and creating hacks or workarounds for them is a necessary skill.
“Hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t work hard” is what my old man told me when I thought I didn’t need to bother with football practice because I won best and fairest the year before.
@snarfed In my head, I’ve always visualized skill being the scale, talent is where you start on the scale, and practice is how you move up the scale. Sure, some people might start higher than you, but that doesn’t make them better than you or that you can’t surpass them with practice.
Ryan, I like your comment about motivation over talent:
@schnarfed https://snarfed.org/2024-07-31_53442
It reminded me of a post from Dave Cormier from a few years ago about ‘care’ being learning’s first principle. He makes the case that,
Learning’s first principle – the most important thing i learned this year