Do you envy people who have a natural talent?

A key point – repeated research has proven that IQ is not related to levels of achievement. Further investigation exposes some interesting facts.

Mozart began playing the piano at 3 years of age but did not compose his first proclaimed opus until he was 16. Tiger Woods held a golf club before he could even walk but was not recognised as good enough to represent his country until he was 19.

What happened in those intermediary years? Both Mozart and Woods underwent intense training by their extremely proficient fathers. Years of practice changed how their brains functioned enabling them to develop exceptional skills, “natural” talent!

Research with music students clearly demonstrated a relationship between accomplishment and levels of practice. From an equal starting point, the difference in the achieved levels of virtuosity between those that consistently put in the most number of practice hours with those who hadn’t were stark.

It may seem obvious but this analysis concluded that deliberate, continued practice will change how the brain and body will function – becoming “talented”.

We are all aware of the benefit of setting goals but how many of us actually focus on the process to successfully achieve them? How often do we self-evaluate? How often are we deliberately imprecise to make our achievements look better than they actually are?

By comparison “naturally” successful people will accurately quantify what they have actually achieved. By constantly revisiting the process, ie training the brain, they improve levels of accomplishment and accelerate the journey along the road to success.

So perhaps “talent” is not so “natural” and any of us could become the next Bill Gates or Jack Welch!

This post includes an abstract from Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else by Geoff Colvin