Mindset & Attitude: Talent is Overrated

Talent is Overrated: A warning about misuse of the word “talent” and priceless lessons on what success in music and life really means…

Table of Contents

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Prerequisites

LOVE of music and the discipline to study and practice the right things the right way.

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Lesson Goal

To reconsider what is meant by the word “talent” and how misuse of the word can channel us all in unhealthy directions.

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“Talent” is Just a Six-Letter Word

There’s no doubt that people differ in levels of expertise and performance in various fields that most consider to be extremely difficult: music, art, sports, chess, calculus, quantum physics… to name but a few.

But I cringe every time I hear the word “talent” used as a label. Because doing so can do great harm in many ways. Two ways come immediately to mind: First, labeling someone as “talented” risks discounting their hard-won accomplishments. And second, labelling someone as “untalented” risks inviting them to quit before even trying.

And there is a widespread belief that there are an exceptional few who “have it” and a vast majority of ordinary people who “don’t”. Those who are deemed to “have it” are considered special, fundamentally different from the rest. They are called “gifted”, “talented”, “geniuses”, “naturals”. What are we mere mortals, those of us without sky-high IQs, perfect pitch, photographic memories, exquisite hand-eye coordination, and no fear of being on stage supposed to do?

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Labeling Theory & Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Carelessly labeling of people as “talented” (or not) has profound implications per the power of self-fulfilling prophecy… for everyone–the “talented”, “untalented”, and society as a whole as follows:

1. Those labeled “talented” may be accorded special attention, opportunities, and rewards that are denied to those who are “untalented”.
2. Those who are rewarded for their “talents” may adapt their behavior to maintain such rewards–a dependency on extrinsic reinforcers that is unsustainable and not typically good for their emotional wellbeing.
3. The “talent” label invites undue adulation for those who “have it” and unjustified resignation by we mere mortals who “don’t have it”.
4. Being labeled “talented” may make one a slave to one’s gifts–by instilling expectations that lead to unhealthy perfectionism and competition.
5. Believing that things should come easily to them may lead “the talented” to depression and despair as even “the biggest talents” discover their limitations.
6. The “talent” label encourages a culture of stagnation where the “talented” are content to rest on their laurels and the “untalented” are encouraged to quit before even trying.
7. Those who believe they are “untalented” may consider themselves unworthy of doing important things. Worse yet, they may believe they are not responsible for doing important things.

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Possible Explanations for “Talent”

Let’s begin by admitting that remarkable skill does not necessarily prove the existence of some innate gift. Such may also be explained by a variety of other factors: motivation, personality, character, prior knowledge, problem-solving experience, social supports, work ethic, social pressures, competitiveness, self-confidence, access to excellent teachers and mentors, and the time, health, and safety to pursue one’s interests… to name but a few.

It’s typically not possible to know from someone’s performance alone how they attained their level of competence. And wondering how they got that way naturally begs some questions: Were they born great or made great? Are they a genetically-gifted rarity, a socially-gifted rarity, or a highly-motivated rarity? Can you think of some others?

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A Case Study: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Mozart is commonly viewed as an exemplar of the truly gifted prodigy–the existence proof that you either have it or you don’t. But the less-appreciated fact is that he was born into a richly musical and privileged household.

While there’s no reason to doubt that Wolfgang Amadeus was born special, it is less widely recognized that he was also raised special. Mozart’s genius blossomed in an exceptionally nurturing environment that provided both a highly-focused education and unconstrained freedom to pursue his music.

Imagine what kind of music Mozart may or may not have made if his genetic blueprint was born to subsistence farmers in the Tirol, on 52nd Street as Thelonious Monk’s younger brother, or to an Aboriginal tribe in the Amazon this very day. Of course, if his musical DNA was delivered to the same parents as a baby girl we would have never heard of her.

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Make No Mistake

It’s a tragic mistake to define “talent” only in terms of performance rather than potential… only in terms of inherited predispositions rather than the capacity to learn… only in terms of observable skills rather than character traits… an only in terms of narrowly-defined capabilities rather than a view of the whole person. What, for example, is the fruit of categorizing people based on an IQ test?

Furthermore, it would be a huge disservice to use the word “talent” to discount or diminish the hard-won accomplishments of successful people or to use one’s supposed absence of “talent” as a crutch to justify one’s own lack of accomplishment.

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Takeaways

Back to the question asked above: What are we mere mortals, those of us without sky-high IQs, perfect pitch, photographic memories, exceptional size and strength, or exquisite hand-eye coordination supposed to do?

We can begin with the following realizations:

1. Natural endowment alone typically cannot explain the acquisition of expertise.
2. Most talents, however large or small, are latent–waiting to be discovered and nurtured given the opportunity and right kind of support.
3. Performance is easy to see, but seeing potential takes love and commitment. Perhaps that is why “talent” seems so rare.
4. “Giftedness” often masks “disabilities” as “disabilities” often mask “giftedness”
5. A “big” talent does not make you more valuable than others… and a “small” talent does not make you less.
6. Success in any endeavor has far more to do with opportunity and hard work than we care to admit. Alas, admitting this truth is not terribly popular… for it renders us all so very responsible–to ourselves and to each other.
7. While most of us don’t have extraordinary abilities, we still have so much else to offer. Why not include sensitivity, passion, humility, empathy, curiosity, enthusiasm, industry, courage, persistence, patience, gratitude, honesty, kindness, compassion, diligence, discipline, perseverance, optimism, and devotion? Why are these not considered talents? After all, aren’t these things–these very “ordinary” things–the very things that propel and channel your innate endowments, no matter how humble or exceptional they might be, in service to a life of purpose and meaning?

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Myth: The gift is talent; You either have it or you don’t.
Truth: The real gift is LOVE; you either have it or you don’t.
– Frank Peter

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