Talent is a Distraction
September 22nd, 2026 - 21:50
Not saying it's fake, otherwise everyone would be exactly the same.
This should belong to a more global topic which I'll call something like "concluding words", but for now...
What is talent? Well, what I usually interpret (if not always) from people it's "a great native skill". More specifically... A skill that's used with little to no effort.
I feel this can creep into beliefs like "why should I put more effort? (or even at all)" or "I won't actually improve on what I'm capable of". I'm always afraid of confirming that if someone centers the concept of talent a bit too hard.
I almost never think about talent, to the point that on the last one or two years I've been putting a bit of active effort judging if someone is talented on something. Pretty sure it's mainly due to my passion about languages. But otherwise...
I always try to focus on more tangible facts when I want or must interact with something: What to observe or think of, the amount of effort, risk or time; what are my options, probabilities, etc. That includes on acquiring or improving my skills. In fact, this thought process is what eventually led me on trying to improve how I should behave and think, and on getting courses on 3D modeling and programming years ago. Among other things.
Yes, I know what demands me more or less effort on a handful of things. In fact that's when I try to apply my problem solving skills, instead of giving up with "I'm not talented enough". If you see me giving up or not pulling the trigger, it's due to more out-of-control situations (time, money, etc). If I considered talent at the same level, I would've tried less things in my life.
To be fair, I'll never forget a friend once told me that "having patience is a talent"... I mean, they're not wrong????? But once again... I try not to focus too hard on that lmao most skills can only be earned in the long term. For patience speficically, I mainly needed my expensive meds - that's a story for another day tho lmao... But yeah, ultimately I'm probably very (if not super) aware of making sure I'm not doing anything self-destructive. But I don't wait too long - excess of patience sounds like fear instead.
So yeah, if you see someone with great skill, don't forget on all the effort they put onto... And if it really is pure talent, don't make them believe it's all they need, and therefore, reaching to an eventual dead end due to such tunnel vision. Celebrate manuverability and dynamic adaptation.