The other day a friend reminded me of an old saying that goes, “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”
Most of us have seen this in sports, where a less talented team outworks and outplays an athletically more talented team. Hard work has beaten talent many times, when talent just didn’t work very hard.
Hard work is more important than talent!
Have you ever had a goal that you didn’t reach? What was the reason?
When you’ve done everything within your power to achieve a goal, but it just wasn’t enough, you can still feel good knowing you gave everything you had to give. It’s one thing to fall short when you have given your best effort. It’s another thing to all short because you didn’t give yourself every chance possible for success.
The times you should feel bad are those times when your own lack of effort, attitude, or perseverance are the reason for your lack of success.
Don’t be your own worst enemy!
In over 25 years of coaching, I’ve seen just about every type of player there is. Athletes generally fall into 1 of 4 categories. There are athletes with:
- Average talent and average work ethic
- Average talent and ABOVE average work ethic
- ABOVE average talent and average work ethic
- ABOVE average talent and ABOVE average work ethic
Which type of athlete do think has the best chance of success?
I would take the person with an above average work ethic, but only average skill, over a player with a lot of talent but doesn’t work very hard. Lack of effort by a talented player is frustrating to everyone, and they will usually end up disappointing themselves, and their teammates. Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. Share on X
It’s exciting to see a player without much talent giving their heart and soul to find victory. More times than not, this player will end up reaching their goals because they persevere and know how to get back up every time they fall.
Just as there are these four types of athletes, I’ve noticed people generally fall into these same 4 categories in other areas of life too.
Your talent is your natural skill. These are the God-given abilities that you have, that you have honed and developed through countless hours of practice.
In athletics you can’t really control your level of skill. You can certainly improve where you are, but no matter how much I practice I am never going to be as strong, as fast, or as good of a basketball player as Lebron James!
But I can reach my full potential with a great attitude and an incredible work ethic.
In sports, and in life, I would rather have a less talented person who works hard and gives everything they’ve got, than someone with all the talent in the world who is unmotivated and doesn’t give his all.
So what about you?
Maybe you don’t have as much natural talent as the next guy, but that doesn’t mean you can’t reach the level of success that you desire. It just means you have to work harder than most.
We live in a generation where the saying is, “That’s doing too much.” Those that are “doing too much” are the ones who are finding success and are reaching their goals.
If you have average talent but you are working hard, then you are already ahead of the majority of people. And if you have talent, AND you are working hard then you will be among the top few percent.
However, if you ride on the coattails of your talent, then at some point you will fall off. Talent will certainly get you somewhere, but it won’t get you sustained success.
Whining, complaining, pouting, making excuses, and blaming are all things that will sabotage your own success.
Develop the habits of a winner. Maximize your potential so that you can become the best YOU, you can possibly be!
And don’t be your own worst enemy!
More motivation visit: www.facebook.com/motivationminute
“It’s hard to beat a person who doesn’t give up.”
-Babe Ruth
“I”ve always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come.”
-Michael Jordan
“Leaders aren’t born, they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. That’s the price we have to pay to achieve that any goal.”
-Vince Lombardi
“Some people dream of success while others wake up and work hard at it.”
-Winston Churchill
“Life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I deal with it.”
-Charles Swindoll
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