Talent vs. Hard Work
July 7, 2010 by admin
Author: Fernando Solis
Are sporting champions born or made?
Some will argue that sporting champions come from the womb and that the combination of natural ability and talent, destiny and a lesser emphasis on training will lead them to success.
Others will argue that hard work, determination and countless of hours of training can bridge the talent gap and will lead an athlete to elite competition.
History shows that world class champions of many sports have come from both extremes or have been a combination of both talent and hard work.
The example of John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl come to mind. Both of these tennis greats competed against each other through the eighties and battled for the number 1 ranking.
McEnroe was a naturally gifted genius, whereas Lendl was a hard working professional that got the best from his talent.
I remember seeing an interview where McEnroe said he possessed more talent in his little finger than Lendl had in his entire body, but that Lendl was prepared to work harder than he ever was. Both achieved sporting greatness following different paths and relying on different attributes.
On today’s competitive sporting fields a sportsperson that relies solely on natural talent is just not going to reach their full potential and risks been outdone by someone prepared to work harder.
Less talented opponents with limited ability that train hard on their athletic attributes and have competent skill levels will compete equally with those that are gifted and may be preferred by some coaches rather than the talented athlete that cruises through.
My message is simple:
– If you are talented at your chosen sport, work hard to master your skills and condition your body for peak performance. Do this and you will always be ahead of the game.
– If you are limited in you natural abilities work hard to bridge the gap. You may need to practice longer and work harder but persistence pays off. Whether it’s mental or physical strength – use them to your advantage.
The key is to refine and polish your strengths and place special priority on improving your weaknesses until they become your strengths!
Arnold Schwarzenegger took this approach to get his calves up to scratch. He cut the bottoms off all of his track pants so he had no way avoiding their lack of size and had no choice but to see them everyday in the gym!
Keep up the hard work no matter what your passion is….it always pays off!
