Given the choice between talent and opportunity which would you choose?
Talent more or less equates to physical and personality traits. It’s great to be an athletic 7-footer who can shoot 3-pointers in the NBA. It’s also great to be an introverted coder who loves math, science, and solving problems. On the other hand, all the talent in the world with no opportunity to use that talent is a waste. For example, this 7-footer or coder who grows up in a war-torn country as a child soldier…
So, this is not an easy question by any means. Given the choice between talent and opportunity which would you choose?
Many people have said it many times, many different ways that talent is important, but it’s not the most important factor for success. Grit, coaching, pain tolerance, and confidence are all factors that with all other things being equal will beat out talent more often than not. Moreover, it’s possible to seize an opportunity when lacking talent if you bring grit, coaching, pain tolerance, and confidence to that opportunity.
So, what’s the point? It’s this simple message for anyone who has ever feared they don’t have enough talent to achieve any goal they want to pursue. There is hardly ever a reason to fear that you don’t have enough talent to reach your goals. But there is a reason to fear that you are not working hard enough to find and seize the opportunities you need to reach your goals.
In other words, talent is not within your control, but being prepared to seize an opportunity is. So, as you pursue your goals focus on that and nothing else.