My “Natural” Gift Is Hard Work

“Naturally gifted” is a phrase that galls me a little. Some people too easily dismiss another’s achievements as natural talent and others claim they can’t do something because they are not “naturally gifted.” In my opinion, this puts far too much emphasis on in-born (and uncultivated) ability and not nearly enough on hard work, practice and dedicated effort. And it lets people off the hook too easily – on both sides.

I’m not dismissing natural abilities; I just think they’re over-rated. Everyone who’s dedicated themselves to self-improvement has probably learned that abilities are a moving target. What you’re capable of today is not as much as you will be able to achieve tomorrow – if you put your mind to it.  Skill acquisition is a skill of its own and requires study and understanding to deliver the most powerful benefit.

How long you practice; how hard you push yourself; how you break skill acquisition down into manageable pieces all make a difference. And more is not necessarily better. Repeating short sequences of learning while stretching your abilities over time is more powerful than plowing through long hours of sustained practice that do not stretch your abilities, for example.

And, let’s not underestimate the power of latent learning. We are learning all the time, and sometimes, we aren’t even aware of it. Think of the mind map you have of your town. If I asked you where to find something you never or seldom go to, say, an antique furniture store, or upholsterer (it doesn’t matter what, pick anything), chances are that many could tell me where to find one. You’ve driven by or seen the sign and “learned” that information without realizing it.

We also learn in between training. Very often, after we’ve practiced something, left it and then gone back to it, we actually are better at it than we were when we left it. That’s part of latent learning – our brains continue to process our learnings even when we’re not focused on it.

But, the great ones – regardless of their area of expertise – work hard. They often practice when no one’s looking and figure out how to chunk pieces of learning. Most people know Dennis Rodman, for example, because of his tattoos, crazy behavior and affiliation with the Chicago Bulls in their heyday. What not so many people know is that he had his own key to the Bulls training facility and regularly went there in the middle of the night, even after games, to practice free throws and rebounding. He analyzed and studied shot angles so that, during a game, he could better predict where the ball would go, and made himself, perhaps, the best rebounder in basketball history. Hard work and chunking carried him much further than inborn talent – it’s just not the part most of us see unless we know to look for it.

For more of my thoughts on this and similar topics, please read my book “Skill: 40 Principles that Surgeons, Athletes, and other Elite Performers Use to Achieve Mastery.”