A LOT of people appear to be a natural at their work. They go through their days so smoothly, completing every task so flawlessly and overcoming challenges with little issues. Or that's how it appears. But don't they have to sweat it out like the rest of us too?
Thomas Edison once said: "Genius is one per cent inspiration and 99 per cent perspiration." It essentially means that you achieve things primarily through hard work rather than just through creative ideas. It also means that those seemingly naturally talented folks are putting a lot of work in too.
Even Jamaican former sprinter, Usain Bolt, who's still considered the greatest sprinter in the world, confirms this when he said: "I think a lot of people, they see you run and they say, 'Aaah, it looks so easy, so effortless'. But before it gets to that point, it's actually hard; it's hard work."
What the world sees is the nine-second run that shattered the world record. What we don't see is the nine hours of daily gruelling training he puts in. "Train hard, turn up, run your best and the rest will take care of itself," he added.
Closer to home, the legendary Datuk Misbun Sidek had this to say about how he coached the players under his charge. "From what I observed, those players with natural talent, they tend to be more complacent than others. While those with lesser talent, they'll work hard to claim their place. Whether you're talented or not, you still need a lot of nurturing."
NURTURING TALENT
It's certainly a timely reminder of how we sometimes take our talents for granted. Talents are very important when it comes to opening doors of opportunities. Living in a competitive world, a talented person can on leverage his/her skills to move ahead of their peers.
But relying on talent alone is a mistake. As the world gets smaller, more and more talented people are discovered. There'll always be someone out there who's faster, stronger, better and smarter. To go higher, we must nurture those talents further.
This is good news for those who are less talented. By virtue of hard work and proper training, anyone can master a new skill. There are many benefits to this, for example, increased motivation, increased efficiency in doing the work, increased capacity to adapt to changes, and increased innovation mindset.
Hard work gives us an advantage over others. It gives us that competitive edge and a way to stand out. It's also a great confidence builder. It allows us to experience gratitude and understand that success doesn't come easy. In return, we attain self-improvement. In short, hard work is motivating.
It's time we instil the nurturing culture in addition to natural talents. "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard," said Tim Nolte, a famous basketball coach.
Always remember not to let our talents make us complacent. Hard work beats talent any time, all the time. But when both are combined, we'd be unstoppable!
Zaid Mohamad coaches and trains others to bring out their best while enjoying a peaceful, purposeful life. Reach him at coach@zaidmohamad.com.