Today, I’d like to talk about how effort is really worth so, so much.
Hey, just think about it.
You pour hours and hours into one thing, adjusting and refining it…
Like how would you not be better at it after all you have invested?
Now, something that is obviously quite fundamental to our mastery of things is none other than talent.
But even then, how far can talent alone go, really?!!
See, from my general observation of life, even with a pretty sublime level of talent, one is only able to display a performance of up to 75% at most!
And even then, those are relatively few and far between, some exceptional performances exhibited by a gifted one.
Meanwhile, as for those people who have actually invested in the effort and become somewhat competent at said activity… hey!! Like, to them, even without trying super hard, they can already easily display an 80% mastery exhibition of skill!
And isn’t that already more than the 75% exhibited by the gifted dude?
And on top of that, there’s consistency embedded therein too! That’s a level of skill they can wield again and again!!!
So, if nothing else, how is that not a really really great reason to commit to and work really hard at some stuff!!!
Like, if you only casually partake in it once or twice and already show great talent, sure it’s something your ego will feel really good about!
But still! Don’t forget, yo!
No matter what, you’ll still be lagging behind those who’ve really invested hours upon hours into it!!!
And that is why they say that a jack-of-all-trades is effectively speaking just a master of none.
Yeah yeah, so you may really show exceptional talent in a couple of fields. But yo bro, if you don’t narrow down that list and commit seriously to your select ones, you’ll still never reach the peak!
Something that those with talent often do is just easily breeze through the process. Whew! Simple and effortless! And many a times, it’s already a really good showing! Even enough to give the truly experienced ones a run for their money sometimes, yo!
But hey! Yeah, cool story bro. Indeed, you can give them a run for their money and made them work a little for it. Still, no matter what you say, at the end of the day, your level of skill is still inferior to theirs yo, you who have invested far less into the activity than they have!
See, while those with talent may just easily breeze through stuff, and be satisfied with it, those who take that stuff super seriously actually pore over it! As opposed to casually whooshing through, they examine the little details, refining every little thing they see.
Those with talent yet merely treat it as something they can do fairly well at might call that pedantic, yeah. Takes too much effort, bro. Ain’t gonna do that!
Like, the former may just spend an hour or so breezing through it! In the meantime, the latter literally spends hours upon hours squeezing all they can derive from it!!!
And if you think about it, that’s how they become the best.
Hey, really, just think about it. Which of the big names out there who’s really really super good at what they do have not invested blood, sweat and tears into their craft? Like hey seriously, that is what got them there!
A simple analogy would be to think of sports or games.
Those guys have all the maxed out proper equipment for it. Like they customise their builds to the very most suited for them as opposed to just some casual one-size-fits-all that would be okay for anyone just trying it out casually and already happy with a 70% workout..
Then they might even have fitness regiments, diet restrictions etcetera…
Basically, hey, think about it this way.
Those relying on talent alone are just happy letting their talent carry ’em.
Meanwhile, those who are really, really serious: they really do a comprehensive cover of all possible bases, making sure that they actually are like 100% accounted for in it – to a point where really, surely, literally nothing more can be done to further boost their chances already.
THIS is how talents fully blossom, bloom and shine.
Hey, just think about it this way, okay.
Let’s say you’re pretty talented in running and join Sports Day with your school.
You’re facing off against some people from the track-and-field team.
Like seriously, would it be super super unfair if you were actually able to beat them?
Like, this is a major segment of their whole life bro. They literally, unquestionably have invested hours upon hours into it!!!
Like, would this universe even be fair if someone could just casually walk in and thoroughly pummel them to the ground, someone to whom this is really not that important or much of a priority at all?
No!!!
Like, seriously! Those people really, really deserve it because of all the effort they have put in. Thus they deserve to be rewarded for their effort thus far!
Like, cause-and-effect or whatever. This is literally one of the laws of the universe! That what you do give, is what you shall receive. It’s basically a no-brainer!
Unconsciously, most people have probably invested a large amount of time into things that they are more interested in and passionate about.
Hey… I’d like you to recognise this.
If you have literally invested hours upon hours into something, that means you’re literally very, very qualified to be partaking in that activity!
And so, don’t take yourself for granted in that activity, okay?
You can actually already think of yourself as a ‘titled’ personage in said activity who can commune on it for hours on end!
(Like, maybe when adding interests to your profile on apps where you get to know people, only add those in? Hmm, just food for thought yo! Because those are what I think really represent you best!!! Anyway…)
Please, if you’ve really invested a lot in an activity, why not just consider yourself as having a consistent! 80% proficiency in it, huh?
Your time spent was not for nothing!!! Recognise your own worth in it! Don’t just take it for granted because it comes to you without thinking! Perhaps you can even think of a way to go expand in those fields!
Challenge yourself! Surprise yourself!
Who knows what you can do!!!
Thing of this as a calling of sorts that life has blessed you with!
As for activities that you merely dabble in…
I mean, you can choose to just dip your toes into an activity, and that’s perfectly fine. Still, you really shouldn’t expect yourself to become an expert in that!
No, leave that to those who’ve already poured so much of themselves into it!
Though of course, you can still go appreciate your talent in it every now and then, haha. Do it! There’s no stopping you from enjoying yourself!!
So finally, I’d like to suggest this mindset change today.
Why not view these things that you invest so much time and effort into as trees?
So, by working on your foundation, you actually thicken and strengthen their roots. You cause them to expand and their branches outstretch forth without end…
In your free time, let these trees be the main focus of your attention! You have invested so much into it already, so don’t let it go to waste!
Sometimes in life, we have got to search for those things which truly resonate with us. And that may take us time as we search and search, on and on…
But at some point in time, remember this!
After all the searching you’ve done, you might already have found what it is you are seeking after.
And at that point in time, that phase of your life is truly over. Seriously.
Now, what you’ve got to do is dig deep and plant that seedling into the ground, letting it rise to become a grand, towering tree.
At that point, your next step is really obvious.
Put your effort into it and watch it culminate.
Trust that as you give, so shall you receive.
Even if it’s just in the form of a community of similarly interested, like-minded friends that you can have fun with!
See, think about it this way…
Even if someone is a really good conversationalist and able to talk about all sorts of topics to some degree…
What if they are still unable to be fully immersed in said topics?
Like, they are still able to interact when it comes to some of the more advanced stuff, but ultimately, no. They aren’t that interested in it to know so much! And so, they just can’t really communicate on that!
But hey. why not just locate the few topics that you CAN! really passionately go 100% into? Won’t that make all the difference?
So, keep that in mind, will ya? Especially if you are not that specialised yet. Quality over quantity yo! Till it becomes a cycle and the quality demands that it be reciprocated with quantity! Like, truly, woah!
Haha, I was just going to write about effort in this article, but then my mind ended up flowing with the breeze and I ended up writing about all kinds of stuff. Cool story bro.
Anyway, bye, and till the next article! Adios!