I’ve known him for 10 years and he just finished his Physics PhD a message from my best friend.
Talent is bullshit. Talent is a word that refers to hours and endless effort that an individual has put in to excel at something. When people say, “oh but you are talented so that is why you excel” you instantly know that they have never been good at anything in their life. Good meaning, > 90th percentile.
Sure, there are some intrinsic benefits some people have that help them start their journey to success, but hard work out works talent every time. Talent may bring you from knowing nothing to the 25th percentile but after that, it is you and your dedication that will bring you there.
For readers out there that think they are stuck in their hobbies or life because of a lack of talent, grab a mirror and realize that YOU are the thing holding yourself back. If you genuinely care to progress in something, fall in love with the process of doing the thing. Forget about comparing yourself to the best versions of people in that skill / hobby and focus on yourself, your progression, your journey. You can gather and extract the top 10%’s techniques to move forward. But comparison is the thief of joy. Do not make excuses that they have some mystical birth right to success and grind.
If you are reading this and take any bit of this information seriously and start to work on yourself and stop making excuses. I applaud you and great things are in your future. Not tomorrow, not next week, or even next month, but after years of effort, success will come, and I am proud of you.
Housed and Fed 