Is talent even real? For many, talent is seen as the invisible line that separates the good from the great. Often, it’s viewed as an invisible barrier, one that many believe they can never overcome. But is talent truly an innate quality, or is it a combination of factors that can be cultivated? While genetics may influence certain physical traits, such as body shape for activities like running or swimming, it’s hard to definitively say that talent, as it’s traditionally understood, plays a major role for most of us.
Talent may indeed come into play when striving to be the absolute best in a particular field. But for most people, being “the best” is an unattainable goal, and hard work plays a much more significant role. To reach the top level of any skill, it often requires intense practice from a young age, with countless hours dedicated to honing one’s craft. This level of commitment is not realistic for most, particularly once they’ve reached their teenage years. However, that doesn’t mean all hope is lost. Being the best might sound appealing but being in the top 5% or even 10% at something is still a commendable achievement and it might not require an inherent “talent.”
Take software engineering, for instance – becoming the best software engineer in the world is an extraordinary feat. Perhaps the individual who holds that title started coding intensively at a young age and possesses what some might call “exceptional talent.” But at the end of the day, being in the top 10% of programmers is also a remarkable achievement and can provide more than enough financial security for a comfortable, luxurious life. The real question is: how important is talent? I would argue that, for most able-bodied people, talent is merely a mental block—a convenient excuse for why they believe they can’t achieve something.
Neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to adapt to new situations, plays a significant role in skill development. When we work hard at something difficult, it’s natural to struggle initially. Nobody is born with exceptional abilities; these skills must be built over time. It’s only through the frustration of learning, whether it’s mastering tennis or solving complex calculus problems, that we develop the neural capacity to handle such challenges. In theory, there is no such thing as “difficult” because everything can be conquered with enough time and effort. The best violinists in the world, for example, aren’t just born with talent, they spend countless hours practising, regardless of any innate ability.
This isn’t to say that the playing field is completely equal for everyone. Even if talent exists, the more decisive factor is often how individuals spend their childhood. Many geniuses spent their early years thinking deeply about logical problems and solutions, and by the time they became teenagers, they had developed the neural capacity to outperform their peers. But it’s never too late. While the brain is more plastic during childhood, it remains adaptive well into adulthood which suggests that the decision to give up on learning a new skill is misguided, particularly when driven by fear of failure.
Many people ask, “What if I’m just not good enough, no matter how hard I work?” This mindset contains a significant logical flaw. The importance of talent is often grossly exaggerated. As members of the same species, our genetic makeup is largely similar. Of course, there are individuals who face real disadvantages or impairments that limit their abilities, but for the vast majority of people, talent is not the defining factor in success.
Ultimately, our brains are truly magnificent in their abilities, not just intellectually, but also in motor control. Whether it’s executing a perfect topspin loop in table tennis or hitting a home run in baseball, our neural systems are capable of amazing feats. We should be grateful for such a complex mechanism, one so advanced that even we don’t fully understand it. What we do know is that the potential of the brain is incredibly high. Consider how modern sports have evolved, athletes today are performing at levels previously thought impossible. From Stephen Curry’s unbelievable three-point shooting to table tennis players improving to the point where the ball size had to be changed to slow the game down, we’re witnessing the limits of human skill being pushed further than ever.
With our modern understanding of how skills are developed and the advanced equipment available, we are in an era where humanity can reach its highest potential in terms of skill. If we have the means to work hard, it’s undoubtedly worth striving to become someone of exceptional ability.