“I’ve got natural talent, that should be enough,” we’ve all heard someone say this. However, there are times when it is not enough.
There is the story of the classical pianist who practiced fifteen hours a day and traveled the country performing. However, when he stopped practicing on a daily basis, he began to play the same pieces all the time and felt mundane in his work. When he noticed this he began to practice again and saw a difference in the bookings he received and his audience.
So why isn’t natural talent enough?
- There is always someone better than you and someone worse than you
- We live in a critical society
- To be the best you have to stay at the top of your game. How many times have we heard of a performer that allowed success to go to his/her head and spiraled out of control?
- Regardless of our specialty, we need to continue to learn new methods, ideas and styles in the industry.
- Practice, Practice, Practice makes the best. Unfortunately at times this isn’t even enough!
- We have to work hard to get to the point of success with our talent
- Often in order to achieve a goal or the point of success something else has to be sacrificed. Only the individual can decide what that sacrifice is and if they are willing to make it.
- We need to be pushed out of our comfort zones. This is usually best done with a coach. We often think of a sport coach or fitness coach pushing us, but there are other types of coaches. This can be a critique group, a creativity coach or a coach specialized in the field of study {vocal coach, art coach, writing coach, etc}.
- Perseverance—often reaching goals and being successful takes persistence. Imagine if Benjamin Franklin gave up the first time he tried his theory of electricity or Alexander Graham Bell gave up when he was working on the telephone?
It is human nature to think that we are the best and only one that will succeed. Cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Nashville are full of talented individuals striving to make their mark in the industry and craft of their choosing. However, only a small handful find success.
Often it’s not the most talented, but the most persistent that eventually succeed.
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