When Talent doesn’t work hard. It takes work to develop a skill. It takes a dedicated, programmed effort to get better at something. I can be born with a talent but I will need to earn a skill.

Talent, if you will, is something I am born with. Skill is something I grow and develop. That being said if there is one talent I would like to be born with, it is the drive to get a skill. But once I have that, once I have done the hard work to develop any skill, I have what it takes to develop another and another and another.

It is true that hard work is its own reward but developing new skills carries even more satisfaction. This is true especially of the intangible skills…compassion, generosity, kindness. It is hard to be compassionate. So work at being compassionate. Generosity requires a shift in mindset…go to work on having a generous mindset. Kindness is a practice that requires, like a garden, tending and attention. All of those things will need hard work to develop the expertise to do them effortlessly.

We work hard to develop strength in our bodies. We concentrate on developing skills to improve our performance. Maybe we should work just as hard developing intangible skills. Maybe you can’t Google “developing compassion” the way you can Google “get bigger biceps” but the template is out there if you care enough to do the work.

Hard work carries a great reward…Developing skills may carry an even greater reward. Use your talent to work hard. Cultivate a mindset of learning and developing skills. It will pay dividends far in excess of the cost of hard work.

John Mariotti
www.crossfitodyssey.com
www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com
775-338-2412