Does your success depend on the family you were born in? The money you have? The disabilities or medical problems you were born with?
Can we change our fate, Simply by changing our brains?

Do Natural Talents Exist?

People always use the word "talent." People tell me that I'm talented at drawing, Talented at writing. Talented at this, Talented at that... Blah blah blah.
While it's a compliment because they are saying they like my work and think it's good. Part of me is confused and even somewhat offended.
As a child, I spent all day reading and writing, As I became a teen, I became addicted to drawing. I put years of hard work into learning my "Talents".
There are a lot of arguments on whether or not you can be truly born talented. While I agree that some people can be born with a certain DNA that makes them better at specific things. Many people can get good at things if they just TRY!

Society lies to us!

One day I was talking to my boyfriend about him about one-day becoming self-employed. And maybe he could start his own business. And he said something that hurt. He claimed that he couldn't. Because he feels that he doesn't have any talents and he has nothing to offer to the world.
WHAT?
Luckily he hasn't said it again. I hope he was having an off day. But still. Not cool!

He acted like it was something he wasn't born with. Something that he was owed.

I noticed that when he has free time, He chooses to play games, Or watch a tv show. While there is nothing wrong with these choices, What has happened? Well, he's dang good at videogames that's for sure!
So I could argue he has a talent for gaming.
If he were to spend that time doing something else instead, I'm sure he'd be really good at whatever it is that he chooses.

Why is it, that we teach kids from when they are young, that they need to find their "talent." That they even have a talent?
Because instead of growing and developing what they love, They spend all this time trying new things, Until they find something they are automatically good at with minimal effort.

This kind of mindset, Makes people less likely to try hard to "DEVELOP " a talent for something they are interested in.

When We Don't Succeed

Instead of seeing ourselves as failures when this happens, We need to look at it as a learning opportunity so that we can learn and grow from it! When we believe that our potential lies in what we are talented in, We screw ourselves over. And it makes us less likely to be open to learning. Sometimes people believe that they only can succeed based on how gifted, or not gifted they are at the activity.
When you have a growth mindset, Your potential is unknown; It's limited. You an keep going and going. You feel like you can practice for hours. And keep getting better indefinitely. And this creates the motivation to TRY!

Part of being successful is finding and asking for those extra opportunities that make things easier for you to get what you want!