Natural Talent or Practice Makes Perfect?
October 14, 2009 | By Caitlin McCabe | 
Turn Here is a guest column by Caitlin McCabe who blogs over at Smile Like You Mean It and is into architecture, social media, and irreverence.
Natural Talent:
I’m kind of a… book girl. I always have been. When I was young, I’d sit in my room for a whole day and read book after book and that’s fine with me because now I’ve read a whole lot of books that most people haven’t. Sometimes it makes me feel cooler because some smart person is talking about a book and I’ve read it. Sometimes it makes me feel like a dork that I’d rather read when my boyfriend wants to go see Transformers.
It has also made me really good at recognizing the dead giveaways that you are a “book person” like:
1) You get really excited when you go to someone’s house and see their bookshelf. You probably linger at the shelf going through titles longer than is appropriate.
2) You judge people on the books in that shelf and decide how well you will get along with them based on their selection. (By the way, I knew Rebecca and I would get along when I saw her bookshelf because she had White Oleander)
3) You have a book with you at almost all times because you never know when you’ll have 5 minutes of downtime.
4) You consider a Saturday morning at Barnes and Noble to be complete heaven.
So, I guess I have a natural talent for reading books, sifting through magazines, and making stuff out of old junk. There are others too I think, but this is what comes to mind first. My natural talent has made me a good fit for social media and advertising because when you read a book, you are always putting yourself into the mindset of someone else, which is exactly what you must do in order to talk to large groups of people online or off.
My natural affinity to this stuff has also kept me interested in this industry for years so I’ve gotten better at taking in knowledge really fast.
Practice Makes Perfect:
Last week I started a hip-hop dance class. I thought it would be fun and I was stressed out and needed to try something new. So I chose something that I figured would be “fun” and “different.” I figured that I would mine that tiny nugget of good dancer inside of me into a hip-hop dance queen. Turns out, that nugget is really, really small.
I was bad. There is really no other way to put it. The session was complete with me doing turns so that I was facing the back when everyone else was facing the front and other horrors that I’m still trying to erase from my mind.
When I left I decided that there was no way I was ever going back there. Ever. I think I honestly kind of expected to be somewhat good at it and when I wasn’t I didn’t even want to try. It had been a long time since I had tried to do anything I was really terrible at. My girlfriend told me that I was going to be horrible, maybe for a long while, and that working on it was what made the accomplishment so great.
Malcolm Gladwell wrote “Outliers” on the premise that you have to practice something 10,000 hours in order to be good at it.
There’s no way I’m going to 10,000 hip-hop dance classes.
So my thought is – and I’m talking career choices here, not fun hobbies – that you should choose something that you are more naturally inclined to do, right? Because otherwise that 10,000 hours is going to be agony. I mean, I could MAYBE be a hip-hop star after 10,000 hours of practice and then ice skate home through hell afterwards, but it won’t happen because you need the natural talent or affinity to get you to keep showing up for class. You need both to be successful in your field.
I’m a fan of the phrase, “the best surfer is the one having the most fun.” But regarding a person’s profession, there’s a level of realism and practicality that shouldn’t be ignored.
Not everyone can be a Michael Jordan or a Bill Gates. But (as wonderfully cliche as it sounds), we all have dreams and we should strive to meet them and push ourselves to reach our maximum potential in our given field. And frankly, it’s absurd to think that proficiency in all things takes 10,000 hours. It really just depends on what you want to take on.
Great thoughts, Rebecca.
Comment by Timothy Long — October 14, 2009 #
@ Timothy – Whoops! This column is written by Caitlin McCabe, so the credit should go to her : ) Although I have taken a hip-hop class and was as equally bad as Caitlin… the choregraphy bit throws me! I love to dance without any instruction however. So in terms of your comment, I have a lot of fun when I dance, but I’m practical like Caitlin that being proficient in hip-hop just isn’t something I want to do. I guess a lot of it comes down to priorities… thanks for the comment!
Comment by Rebecca Thorman — October 14, 2009 #
I don’t have the article source, but I remember reading that all our talents are through practice. There are no naturally gifted people.
Besides, this article compares two different things. For the “natural talent side,” she mentions her love of books. For the “practice makes perfect” side, she mentions hip hop dancing. She’s comparing something she’s interested in (books) to an actual talent (dancing). So this comparison doesn’t make sense.
Comment by Jang — October 14, 2009 #
I agree completely, Caitlin! I do the things I love and love the things I do because I generally gravitate toward things I have a natural talent for. Equally, if I stop doing something for a while and lose some of the ability I had built up, it’s not always as fun for me to go back to it because I’m no longer good at it.
Some things require sweat and persistence, whether you’re good at them or not. Others, however, deserve to be left at the way-side. Especially when embarrassment and disappointment are all that you get out of it!
Comment by Katie — October 14, 2009 #
I completely agree—it takes both. No one is going to bother putting 10,000 hours into something they don’t love, and people don’t tend to really love something they don’t have a natural inclination for. But when it comes to two people who love writing, for instance, or playing the piano, the person who devotes the most time and effort to it will always be the better writer/pianist. (I think Gladwell is spot-on in Outliers.)
Comment by Kristin T. (@kt_writes) — October 14, 2009 #
@ Jang – I’m sure Caitlin will respond with her own ideas, but I think she’s comparing something she has a natural aptitude for and something she doesn’t. So it does make sense… I have heard that Tiger Woods is only so talented because he has been doing it forever, but I do think you have to like what you’re practicing, so a bit of natural talent comes in.
@ Katie, Kristin – Great points. I definitely am good at many things that I don’t love, so I don’t devote that time or effort. However, if you do love it, it’s good to do a lot of it : )
Comment by Rebecca Thorman — October 14, 2009 #
I totally agree with you Caitlin. That’s why I think it’s so important and rewarding to help people find whatever talent they have and nurture it. It’s one big karma loop that you want to be a part of. It’s a really interesting perspective to take when you sit and think “what if I didn’t decide to take the road that changed everything?”
Comment by JR Moreau — October 14, 2009 #
Aw, Caitlin, give your dance class another try! I love Zumba (my fave latin dance class)….now. When I first started, I was slow, I was backward, it was horrible. But I kept going, and while I still sometimes lead with the wrong foot and sometimes am 2 beats behind, I smile in class (instead of cringe) and I still get a good workout.
(From a fellow book lover, who can identify with ALL of your “book person characteristics)
Comment by Monicarolevans — October 14, 2009 #
There is no natural talent. that’s just a lie we accept to justify our fears and failures. We can get great at anything.
Of course, practicing and being good at something you hate doesn’t make sense, really…
Comment by Carlos Miceli — October 14, 2009 #
Monica – I’m going to go back… I skipped this week but I’m ready for another go round
Carlos and Jang – you don’t believe in natural talent?? Really? I’m not surprised that some people will disagree with some of my points but completely disregarding natural talents? I’m surprised. What about people that without training can sit down and play any song on the piano? What about people with an amazing sense for numbers? I think there are examples of it everywhere.
Comment by Caitlin McCabe — October 14, 2009 #
My dad told me as a kid that if you can find a way to get paid for what you love, you’ll always be happy.
I love to write, draw, design, read and play video games. I get paid to do all of those things now one way or another (except for maybe reading), and I am indeed happy, if not content with life.
There is another side to that coin however. A commenter above said you were making a comparison between hobby and talent, and they are not related, but I disagree. Sometimes we choose certain hobbies because we are talented at them. Sure there are people that love to play basketball that are truly terrible, but for the most part we spend our time doing something because we love it, and we’re relatively good at it.
The problem comes when you get paid for doing all the things you love. I know from experience there’s a risk of burning out. There’s also a motivation risk. Why should I write something for fun if I have a way to get paid to write it? Why should I use my free time to play this game, when I can get paid to play the other one?
I took a class with the very talented Bobby Chiu at Schoolism.com and he said to avoid those things you have to master your on/off switch. Know when to turn off and step away, and you’ll never be without motivation. I’ve been experimenting with my on/off switch the last few months to find that right balance. It’s taking some time, but I think I’ll be happier for it.
Sorry if that seemed completely unrelated, that’s just where my mind went after reading this. Good post Caitlin.
Comment by Austin Light — October 14, 2009 #
This was really thought provoking Caitlin. I agree with what you said at the end: “You need both to be successful in your field.” I loved my former career and worked hard at becoming the best I could be. However, I also believe that you need to practice as much as possible to become better.
I like a challenge. When I entered the PR field, it was a bit of a change, but I attended seminars, etc. to get better. It seemed like 10,000 hours. My point is if you enjoy something or want something bad enough, you will give all you can.
Comment by Jason Mollica — October 14, 2009 #
*raises hand* I am indeed a book person
#3 on that list is my favorite, because yes why waste 5 minutes just standing when it could be 5 minutes reading? That is the best
and #4 for me is actually chilling at the library… Santa Monica has one of the best public libraries ever, it rocks
I totally agree about talent and practice needing to match up, or as you put it your natural affinities have to latch on to the thing you practice. The fact is that a singular focus is itself a talent, though we don’t often think of it that way.
I am reading The Snowball, a Warren Buffett biography, and I am now relating everything in the book to stuff I see and read about daily (another sign of a habitual reader). The thing that strikes me about Buffett when he started investing is that the thing he LOVED to do was read about companies and learn data, financial info, pricing, etc… so it’s no wonder that he focused on that affinity singlemindedly and practiced hour after hour every day. He got his 10,000 hours of expertise at evaluating companies’ financials VERY early in his life because he just latched onto that natural inclination to read and learn and invested appropriately
Comment by Royce Hadden — October 14, 2009 #
I think I found the article I referenced in my previous comment: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/10/30/8391794/index.htm
That article does talk about intellectual and physical limitations, but it does confirm practice is the main reason for success.
Comment by Jang — October 14, 2009 #
Lykke Li is AMAZING!!!
So, for my comment:
I believe that our DNA makes us good at some things, and bad at others. Our upbringing has made us dream of becoming artists, rockstars, architects, or entrepreneurs.
Whatever it may be, I think we need to find what we can be the best in the world at AND what we’re passionate about. Find where those two things align, and you’ve got it made.
- Jun
Comment by Jun Loayza — October 15, 2009 #
If an activity or experience is critical to student success, for example, revising an assignment with a writing tutor, or participating in an internship, consider requiring it. ,
Comment by Bob83 — October 22, 2009 #
Caitlin– I know I’m a little late to the game on this post, but I just wanted to commend you on a very well-expressed article. I have TOTALLY been there. In fact, I feel like you just basically summed up the first half of my 20s.
I, too, am a book person, and always have been. But this little voice at the back of my mind had me CONVINCED I could be a dancer. Now, I’m 5′3″ with an athletic build that by no means conveys grace and/or coordination. After several failed attempts (and one completely embarrassing breakdancing class) I decided to stop putting myself (and spending so much money) on classes if I was just going to end up discouraged. Rather, I focused on the talents I do have that make me happy. True, we should challenge ourselves and learn new things. But that does not mean we should just ignore those things that we are innately good at. Thanks again for a great article!
(I’ve posted some of it to my blog, just FYI!)
Comment by Becca — November 24, 2009 #
I cannot believe this will work!
Comment by 轮盘赌技巧 — January 27, 2010 #