Talent Only Gets You So Far... Lessons From A Quick-Thinker

Did you know that person that would show up the class late (if at all), distract everyone in the room while they were there with their brash comments that seemed to undermine the teacher and yet always 'got it'?

They are annoying, right?

The shoe isn't any easier when it is on the other foot.

Do you know how hard it was to sit from those classes, practically unengaged and intellectually undernourished?

It was hard.

And yet, besides being in the complete wrong classes due to my poor behavioural standards, I still came out with some decent grades.

A-Levels? I wasn't sure they were meant to be hard at all.

To tell you the truth, I only studied for three days for my Level 5 Diploma in Digital Marketing, which was a 200-question, 2-hour exam.

Yep, I passed it.

And it took me about twenty-five years to realise that not everyone is as quick as me.

It was in a sales job when we went over the training material from the first day.

The amount I remembered was unparalleled by the others in the group, and the trainer seemed impressed.

I have had several encounters that made me realise that I may have some innate talent for abstract information.

And yet, if you ask me to do any DIY or wanted anything done practically, you would be better off saving your breath.

A woman called me over from the side of the road to help fix her tyre the other day. It wasn't her lucky day, she found the wrong person... I was of no help.

Give me some form of intellectual stimulation, some abstract idea we can break down? It's all fun and games.

Were you like this too?

Have you found it hard to stay engaged in your field?

Find it hard to find something to focus on?

Did you become complacent with your intelligence?

Even worse, did it make you arrogant and resentful of others?

Because it can, right?

And there we go, blowing our own trumpet. Calling ourselves 'intelligent'... is that something to do?

It depends... are you intelligent?

I was always blind to my intelligence.

Or embarrassed of it.

I didn't educate myself to the highest standard.

I didn't strive for excellence.

I didn't focus.

Did you?

Or were you the same as me, did you find things too easy, did you not have someone pushing you intellectually, did it seldom get noticed due to your self-image being destroyed by years of conforming to friend's stupidity and wanting to be 'one of the lads'?

We all do it.

I haven't stopped in some ways.

I find it surprising that we don't have an IQ test somewhere in life that tells us: look, you have an IQ of 120, you should do X - or you have an IQ of 85, this would be a good path for you.

I know the SATs is basically an IQ test, and the results are the equivalent of a generalised intelligence test, but still... they could make it clear.

And so, undernourished and undereducated I was

You could be a lawyer.

You could be a surgeon.

You could be a biochemical research technician.

And there we go, the choices we have... can all be diminished by a poor sense of your self, a wacky self-image that is a mask to keep up with your friends and a lack of appreciation of your capabilities.

It is nobody else's responsibility besides my own, I was left to my own devices and off I went in the wrong direction. We all make mistakes. I got myself back onto a great road in the end.

And you can too.

You can do anything you want to do.

You do not need to rely on others.

And you do not need to rely on an innate talent.

You should try to find something that your innate talent complements.

You should find something that you cannot live without doing.

And you should plan to do that thing for decades... to become great.

Work for the skills, don't rely on talent

The realisation comes when you hit a competitive field outside of your small village, high-school, College, University.

In the real world of business, it's a global marketplace.

And no matter how smart, when you are starting a business at 24, or you're competing in a marketplace to get a job role, you are indeed missing something a 35-year or 50-year old has: wisdom and experience.

Things go wrong in business. Not everything can be explored 'in theory.' Some things, you must experience.

Not to say you cannot get a great job, a great opportunity, build a great business or become rich at a young age.

I recognise we are in the age of information and abundance... that happens.

But it doesn't happen because of their talent.

Some people are lucky in that they harness their skills and have a degree of focus from a young age, and by the time they are 26 they have had chance to work at their passion for seven years.

I get that.

But for most of us, the journey may only just be starting.

And for a lot of us, life has been easy so far.

Let's face it, you're only starting a business or looking to push yourself further in your career because you need more stimulation and responsibility.

If your current situation stretched you and gave you enough responsibility, you would be satisfied with the challenge.

There are a select few people that need the responsibility and challenge of living up to their standards; setting their day, routines, standing up to the challenges of being self-reliant in their lives, building businesses that offer job roles to the rest of us.

And those people change the world.

But they don't do it because of their innate talent.

Do you get the point of this article now?

Hard work is a necessity.

It's a key ingredient in a recipe for long-term success.

Talent can be a curse in many ways.

You can become arrogant.

You can become complacent.

You can become lazy.

And then what?

You can lose motivation to compete with others.

You can become resentful of others, who you deem 'not worthy to be doing better than you'

You can isolate yourself from the world, in the escapism that shields you from the failures of your lack of effort and discipline.

Does it sound like I am talking from experience?

It's because I am.

Before I read the books I am reading.

Before I had the chance to be a salesman, a recruiter, a marketing consultant.

Before anyone put their faith in me and told me that I had raw potential, offering me some guidance and leadership.

And before I realised the hard work it takes to open a business and survive over the long-term.

A victim mentality doesn't help anyone

You are not a victim of your intelligence.

You are the carrier of it.

It is up to you to educate yourself.

It is up to you to find people that will engage with you intellectually.

It is up to you to put your intelligence and innate talents to practical use, sharpen them and become a well-rounded person.

There is no virtue in being smart. It's a gift. It's arbitrary. It's genetic.

Be thankful for it.

Don't be a victim of it.

It can drive you insane if you let it.

If you don't find focus.

If you don't find a purpose.

If you don't find a way to harness your talents and use them to change the world.

Depriving the world of your greatness is selfish

You are great.

You have it in you to help yourself.

Become self-reliant and be a beacon of hope for others.

And make the world a better place in the process.

A little bit of work.

A little bit of self-care.

A little bit of confidence.

Reduce the arrogance.

Reduce the blame.

Reduce the hate.

Embrace the battle for the day.

Embrace responsibility.

Embrace love.

And see the difference in your reality.

Depriving the world of your greatness is the most selfish act of all.

Put in the work, become great and tell the world about your gift... it's your only choice.