Talent

A comment posted at BookEnds, LLC got me thinking about talent. Well, more like it got me thinking about why I hate the idea of talent.

You see, I do not believe in it.

Now there is an ongoing debate in the field of psychology on the existence of talent, but since it is an intangible idea, the articles written on the subject boil down to opinion rather than science.

So, here's my opinion:

Talent is something we attribute to people who are capable of doing something, often creative or sports related, that we ourselves cannot do. There is an idea that somehow this person is simply gifted. Talent implies that a person did not have to work at what they do, they didn't have to to take the time to develop their skills. They're just magically good at it.

What I believe is that people have certain tendencies. I tend toward creative activities, like writing and drawing. I don't care much for sports--save equestrian sports, which I adore. Now, when I was a child I had the same opportunities to play sports as all the other children in my class, just as they had the same opportunities to write. I never developed skill in sports, while some of my classmates did. Were they more talented than me? I doubt it.

They simply enjoyed sports enough to practice. They played basketball with their friends, they joined little league. (I was in little league too, but I spent most of my time playing in the dirt in right field). While my friends played sports, I pursued things I enjoyed. Writing, drawing, and reading. By the time I reached middle school, I started to hear the word "talent" whenever someone looked at a picture I'd drawn. At first I fell for it. But then I thought about the hours I spent hunched over a sketchbook practicing. I started out with stick figures just like everyone else, but I kept practicing until they started to look better.

Skills develop. I still have stories I wrote and pictures I drew in high school, back when I still thought I was talented. And let me tell you, they're pretty cringe worthy.

I worked hard to learn to draw, and I worked hard to learn to write. If I ever have the time and money, I will work hard to become a better rider. I'm not talented at any of these things, though because of the hours I put into practicing, I do have better than average skill at all of them (toots own horn).

Next time you see someone who is very skilled at something, be in awe of how hard they've worked, don't chalk it up to the mythical forces of talent.