Hello all,
Today’s motivation comes from Dave Weinbaum:
“If you can’t excel with talent, triumph with effort.” — Dave Weinbaum: Businessman, writer, stand-up comic
What is talent? According to Microsoft Encarta, talent, a noun, is defined by the following:
- Natural ability
- Someone with exceptional ability
If you take into consideration ancient times, it was also considered a measurement of weight and money. Over the years, we now consider the first two definitions when discussing what talent is. Now, what is effort? The definition of this noun is very fascinating:
- Energy
- Activity directed toward a particular end
- Attempt
- Result of an attempt
- Applied force
So if we were to bring these two words together, we could say the following:
- Natural ability combined with energy or applied force
- Someone with exceptional ability that performs or does an activity directed towards a particular end or result
And the list goes on…
In our society, we always seem to praise people with natural abilities and gifts. We believe that such individuals are very rare and only come along rarely. We even feel blessed to be in the presence of such people because we are envious of their talent but at the same time, we’re in awe as well. For example, actor and director Robert Redford once made a film called, “The Natural,” about a man who seems to come out of nowhere to become a superstar in baseball. This man has a rare gift of having divine talent. He so good at it he’s referred to as a natural.
When we see people with talent, we tend to buzz around them like bees but yet, what about our own talents and abilities. While it’s a great thing to be talented in one area or another, not everyone is blessed in that way. Weinbaum’s saying tells us that when we lack those natural abilities, there’s something that’s even as good if not better than talent. Its called effort. Some people can do great things if they just put some effort into it. My mother would always tell me I can do anything I want but I just have to apply myself or put some effort into it. For the first time, I now realize what she meant by that.
When you take a good look at yourself, do you have any talents that you were given? If not, consider putting some effort into it. One reason why effort is such a powerful thing is some people who have gifts can get lazy. They tend to rest on their laurels and take their gifts for granted. Another reason effort is good thing is many times it can transcend talent, if we allow this to happen. Golfer Tiger Woods is the best example of this.
In the minds of many, Woods just maybe the greatest golfer of all time. Yet, despite his talent, he puts his all into the game. You wonder why someone like Tiger would put so much effort into the game. Its because he realizes that a little effort goes a long way. As a result, he’s not only known and recognized for his talent, he’s a formidable force on the golf course due to the effort he puts into every game. In addition, Tiger has become more famous for his competitive nature than his ability. In essence, Tiger’s effort has taken him way beyond his talent.
Remember, talent is a great thing to have, provided that its cherished, honed and respected. However, a little effort does go a long way.
