“I’m not talented at anything!” is a common thought. It is completely normal to have doubts. Maybe you even have good reasons.
Better find out!
What does it really mean to be talented? To be talented is to be very good at something, right? Yes, it is! And we often think of being talented as something we are if we have special abilities we are born with, that make us uniquely well suited for learning how to perform way beyond average for something.
Well, in most cases that’s not true. It is rarely special abilities we are born with that make us a talent. If I should explain the term “talent” by using only one word, it would be “passion”. When a young talent suddenly appear everywhere, in every media, and that’s happening out of the blue, I can tell you it’s not a talent they randomly stumbled over a few months ago. They may have had a passion for it most of their life.
And the passion is the key. If they just did it for their parents or if they just worked on it while they were bored, or it was just a minor interest among a lot of other interests, they would not be that talented. It is the passion that is the driving force. It is only through the passion they will be able to prioritize it high enough. It is only through the passion they would spend enough time and work hard enough for it, day and night. Actually it’s not work, it’s a hobby. They enjoy it, and spend as much time for it as they could. Young talents have probably done what they are doing for a majority of their life. It has been a lifestyle. And at some point they were found, and gained attention.
Why are talents often young?
Well, I believe it is because young people dare to dream! And the exclamation mark here is important. Young children see no limits. Children are not afraid of big visions. They don’t focus on all the possible obstacles or reflect on how unrealistic their vision is. They only care about reaching whatever goal they set their mind to. Sometimes their dream is impossible, like traveling to the sun. Sometimes their interest and their dreams change. But sometimes they are so passionate that they are holding on tight to whatever dream they have, and they achieve it.
What about grown people?
Well, reality kicks in. And it kicks in too hard. Instead of dreaming big, we are worrying about how unlikely it is that we would ever reach our target. We are creating beliefs telling us that only specially gifted people would be able to succeed. Or that we would have to start many years ago. When people reach an age of 25 or 30, they seem to suddenly be convinced that their body and every ability they have would just decay, and that they cannot develop new talents. And grownups are experts at finding excuses. I don’t have the time. I’m too busy. I have to wait until next year. I can’t afford it right now. I have something else going on right now. I’ll wait for a better timing. Etc.
Passion
Now we are back to the passion. A talent isn’t something you are born with. It is something you develop. Through passion. Passion is your driving force. Passion is what makes you find the time no matter how busy you are.
How badly do you want to develop your talent? And how talented are you prepared to walk the mile to be? If you have big visions and want to have a big name as a musician, you better work hard and make your activity to your lifestyle, your genuine passion. Something you don’t need to push yourself to do, because it is the one thing you really want to do, for every minute you have available. I don’t say you can’t socialize or do other things, but you would do anything to find the time to practice almost every day, and every minute you can. And most importantly, you have to enjoy it.
On the other hand, if it is just a hobby, and you have no plans to do it professionally, you can live a more normal life. You still need to have a passion for what you are doing, but it won’t require your full attention at all times. How much time and passion that would be required depend on the target level you aim for, and of course earlier experiences. Do you want to learn drums, and have experience of playing guitar? Well, you have developed your musical ear and it would be easier to learn how to play drums.
How long process would it be?
I said that a talent is not something you are born with. It is developed through practice and passion. And that’s true. But of course there would be individual differences for how easy people learn something. Some people for example do have excellent memory, which can help them a lot when learning an instrument. But still, it is not required. The most important advantage you can have is your passion. Maybe you are not born with excellent memory or other special abilities that make some people succeed faster. But as long as you are passionate and patient enough to continue to work on yourself, you will develop your talent to a high level sooner or later. What is important is to not only focus on your final goal way into the future, but to also enjoy the process, and the progress you are making continuously.
Also remember that your progress would vary a lot! It’s like being stuck in a traffic jam. You are standing still, not moving anywhere for a long time, and suddenly the traffic is flowing well for a while, until you’re completely stagnant again. When you feel stuck in your progress of developing your talent, you should just continue what you are doing, enjoying the process. Because at some point you will leave your plateau and make a lot of progress really quickly, until you reach a new plateau. If you are aware of this, it is easier to not lose your motivation and to never give up, and instead continue to work on your talent, ignoring the plateau.
Becoming a talent
Developing a talent is a lifelong process. You will improve on it as long as you are doing it. How long it would take until you have a talent in the matter of being very good at something may take several years. So it is very important to recognize your progress. To enjoy it and be grateful for it. You are not terrible for several years until you wake up one day and have suddenly become a talent. You will have a skill that is continuously improving. Enjoy that improvement. Enjoy the process. And you’ll find yourself being more and more talented. Imagine that you’re already a talent, and act as if you were.
Seek opportunities to perform. Don’t wait until you are at a very high level or some opportunity falls into your lap. Seek opportunities to perform, and get experience. To keep up your motivation, you need to play for more people than yourself, either it’s family and friends, or at a bar, in church or a local event.
And listen: YES! YOU are talented enough! Make it your passion!
The stage is yours!
Good luck!
Do you feel you can’t develop your talent fast enough? Check out the link below to learn why you should practice slower!
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