values

“What mankind wants is not talent; it is purpose.” ~ Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton.

There is a general consensus that talent alone does not make you a success. You also need application and the right kind of hard work. You need the skills to analyse the results you get, and the perseverence to continue where others give up. And luck, of course.

But is it really as simple as that?

I was moved to write this article in response to a Triiibes discussion I have been taking part in. One of my friends on this excellent forum was discussing the book Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else and the thoughtful, intelligent responses were very much in line with the consensus I described earlier.

But my perspective on this is quite a different one, and I’ll do my best to not make it too lengthy.

As a teenager I was considered Gifted and Talented. I attended a school based on academic selection, and very soon I discovered that I also had an unusually beautiful singing voice with operatic potential. continue reading…

{ 0 comments }