Lynx Thoughts

“And, by the way, remember that talent is completely overrated, if you want something it’s just about putting in the hard work :) Talent has precisely nothing to do with results.”

 – Martin from Wintergatan

(I love this quote.  I’ve spoken before about what I call the Tyranny of Talent and what I created there still holds.  We tend to view great ability or skill in someone – especially in the fields of physical or artistic prowess, but in many areas – largely dependent on some ingrained, born-with, special thing.   And if I/we weren’t gifted with it, well, tough luck for us, we can never achieve greatness (though even that term is kinda fraught).  At the same time, we accidentally denigrate the hard work and dedication it did take for those who excel to get to that position of excellence.

I suppose it is, in a way, also a discharge of thwarted ambitions, of feelings of inadequacy, of upset with ourselves for not taking on or giving up on something we do, actually, at our core want.  But it’s a temporary discharge at best and anything but empowering (for anyone).  It cuts off our expression and our desires, and it relegates us to a dustbin of invalid and not lucky.

It is great to come across a quote like Martin’s to remind that talent only seems magical because we are only seeing the result, not all that led to it.  Practice is the way to skill, and the journey itself can be a lot of fun.)