Without effort
Your talent is nothing more than
Unmet potential.
Without effort
Your skill is nothing more than
What you could have done
But didn’t.
Angela Duckworth
Grit

Natural Talent + Work + Time + Grit = Success

Natural talent is only one part of the formula for success.

Natural talent needs to be teamed up with work, time, and grit to be successful.

Natural Talent – Work – Time – Grit = Regret

Natural talent alone is inadequate for continued success.

As Herb Brooks said, “You do not have enough talent to win with talent alone.”

By itself, natural talent will do more harm than good as one will tend to over-rely on such talent,

which will make one extremely vulnerable.

When natural talent is teamed up with passion,

a tenacious work effort, and mental toughness,

it becomes part of an unbeatable winning formula.

There are no shortcuts to excellence.

Talent is only one part of the equation.

It is the most mishandled, dangerous part.

Reliance on natural talent alone is an attempt not to do the work necessary, not to put in the time required, and not to experience the pain that turns natural talent into skill.

The more naturally talented one is, the less one believes hard work has had as much to do with honing their craft as it has.

Talent needs grit to thrive long term.

Talent without grit will prove fruitless and go unfulfilled.

Grit is a combination of passion and perseverance.

It is toughness and tenacity tied together.

It is a high-level effort exerted over long periods.

The reverse is also true.

The less naturally talented you are, the more you rely on hard work to hone your craft.

In actuality, the real talent is the ability to put the hard work in over time and to grit it out during the hard times.

There will reach a point where the hard work, time, and grit can turn negligible natural talent into skill.

Skill soon surpasses natural talent because skill continues to get better while natural talent without hard work, time, and grit, withers.

Work ethic is often the naturally talented athlete’s Achilles Heel.

In Greek Mythology it was forecasted that Achilles would die young.

So, his mother took him down to the river Styx, which was thought to have magical powers of invulnerability.

She dipped him in the river holding him by his heel.

Achilles went on to become a warrior and survived many battles.

Achilles’ life seemed invulnerable.

Until he died when a poisonous arrow hit him in his only vulnerable place.

His heel.

There is not an athlete alive that has been completely dipped in the river of invincibility.

Every athlete has a vulnerability.

Never over-rely solely on your natural talent,

or you will take a potential asset and make it your vulnerability; your Achilles Heel.

Remember behind every champion is a combination of natural talent, acquired skill, passion, hard work, and perseverance.

Success is never easy.

Even when it seems like it comes naturally for some, don’t be fooled.

If you peeled back the layers to their success, you would find a whole lot of grit there as well.

As Angela Duckworth said,

“Nobody wants to show you the hours and hours of becoming. They’d rather show the highlight of what they become.”

Without hard work, time, and grit natural talent will go unfulfilled.

Natural Talent Without Work, Time and Grit, Will Go Unfulfilled

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