Natural talent or dedicated improver?

(The individual in this video is Murray Perahia. He has been playing piano since the age of four! That is a lot of practice! He also studied music in college. So, obviously, Mr. Perahia has an undying dedication to his craft! This one glorious moment is backed by countless hours of blood, sweat, and tears that this man has poured into his craft.)

So, yes, there are some folks out there who have some amount of natural talent. They, for some physiological reason, are better at certain things than others.

Say, you gave two kids a football for the very first time and asked each to throw it, catch it, or run with it. One of the kids will more likely be a better thrower, catcher, or runner. Maybe we can call this natural talent.

But, there is more to the story than that. What if the kid who was initially better at football activities had no interest, but the other kid did? Eventually, the other "unnatural talent" would become better than the "natural talent".

The point is simple, the starting point of ability for any activity is not nearly as important has the dedication one has to improving above current baseline in that activity. The starting point is not as important as the amount of time it takes to perfect the art or sport.

I believe it is the 10,000 hour rule. Most professional musicians or athletes have practiced their craft for 10,000 hours. Amazing piano players may start out better than the average person (though they may not), but they also dedicate countless hours to practice and perfection. The efforts to improve are what leads them to these levels of performance. Athletes don't just pick up the ball on game day and start playing. They practice and practice until it's perfect.

But, what we don't see is all that preparation. We only see the amazing performance or that one amazing moment. What we have to remember is this: that one amazing touchdown, catch, or performance is backed by countless hours of practice.


Effort supersedes ability.