Reflections on hard work and natural talent

There are two things that strike me:

A naturally gifted or talented person is a mesmerizing sight, whether it be a young footballer who could do amazing tricks with the ball from the moment they first kicked it, or the young musician who is a virtuoso at a very young age. These are the people who make your jaw drop in amazement.

On the other hand, I am also struck by the amount that can be achieved through sheer hard work and determination.

Sometimes natural talent can make you lazy, and hard work can compensate for a shortage of raw talent.

I hope my brother does not mind me saying this, but I have always reflected on our similarities in interests, but our differences in character. He is 16 months younger than me and in our teens I was the one who pioneered, while Ben followed. I taught myself the guitar and the piano, so a couple of years later so did Ben. I started to write songs, so a couple of years later so did Ben. I started to do primitive recordings of my songs, and then Ben followed. By the time I was 18 and he was 16 we both wanted to do something in the field of music.

However, we were different in two respects, in my view. I believe I started with a bit more raw talent in music, so I found the initial stages of learning instruments easier. Ben, on the other hand, took longer to master the skills. I remember when he first started the guitar that I was amazed that he couldn’t hear when his guitar was slightly out of tune, and he couldn’t keep a good rhythm all the time.

On the other hand, Ben had more determination and perseverance than me. When I tried to do A Level Music, I found that I hated it and found it really really difficult – more difficult than I had ever found Music in the previous years. I hated the 20th Century Atonal and NeoClassical stuff we had to study, and for some reason I just could not master harmonizing Bach chorales! So I failed the A Level… and ended up as an accountant!

Two years later Ben passed A Level Music, and is now a professor of music in a university. But I remember how he used to study and practice until he was exhausted – many many sessions into the wee small hours. Whereas I was always the one for “balance” – rest when you need rest and work when you have to.

So my learning was that raw talent (which is rather exaggerating my musical gifts – but my point is relativity) is never the whole story in any sphere. What is it they say? “Success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.”

The naturally talented people who capitalize on their gifts amaze us because we could never match their skill. But they can discourage us unintentionally.

The grafters, those who succeed through determination, impress us because they show what we could all achieve if only we could be bothered! They are the ones who can inspire us.

If those grafters can become successful through hard work and determination then so can we. Anyone can be determined. Anyone can work hard and try hard and persevere.

That’s why I am not discouraging my 12-year old from wanting a career as a soccer player. But I am continually telling him that whatever you want to do in life you have to be determined and never give up, no matter what the set back and no matter how slow the progress. He may not end up as a premiership footballer, but hopefully he will learn the lessons of determination and perseverance (I think one also needs faith and humility, but perhaps that is for another article!).

“Reach for the stars, and you may catch the moon!”