There's a difference between talent and success at something. A person can have talent but no motivation and go nowhere. Another person can have no talent and a lot of motivation and have success of some kind in some fields. There are areas where NO talent is such a drawback that no amount of motivation and work will make up for it.
Also, while the item was carried on SOTT, I think we should consider the source and motivation behind the "science" and the writers point of view and the culture that gave rise to both.
Talent does not equal competence and competence does not equal talent. But competence can trump talent if the talent is wasted, as it often is.
Talent is defined as "any natural ability or power". Talent is genetic, your hard-wiring, the components of your computer. However, even the most powerful computer won't work if it is not loaded with the right software.
Knowledge, skill and competence, on the other hand, can be learned and require cognitive processing - software.
Working very hard at something that you are not naturally good at can be very commendable. With a lot of tricks you can make an ordinary computer do a lot of things. But to focus on activities for which your natural potential is not optimal and excluding those for which you have greater natural aptitude seems like a terrible waste. People need to explore their essential selves and find out what is really theirs and combine that with some hard work.
Since this thread is titled "yodeling" maybe the story of Kerry Christensen will be a useful example. He writes:
If you didn't watch this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alMbWx4lVL4&NR=1 do so. Wait until you get to the William Tell overture.
Also, while the item was carried on SOTT, I think we should consider the source and motivation behind the "science" and the writers point of view and the culture that gave rise to both.
Talent does not equal competence and competence does not equal talent. But competence can trump talent if the talent is wasted, as it often is.
Talent is defined as "any natural ability or power". Talent is genetic, your hard-wiring, the components of your computer. However, even the most powerful computer won't work if it is not loaded with the right software.
Knowledge, skill and competence, on the other hand, can be learned and require cognitive processing - software.
Working very hard at something that you are not naturally good at can be very commendable. With a lot of tricks you can make an ordinary computer do a lot of things. But to focus on activities for which your natural potential is not optimal and excluding those for which you have greater natural aptitude seems like a terrible waste. People need to explore their essential selves and find out what is really theirs and combine that with some hard work.
Since this thread is titled "yodeling" maybe the story of Kerry Christensen will be a useful example. He writes:
Kerry Christensen, one of the world's best Alpine yodelers, was raised on a potato farm in Grace, Idaho and had to wander quite a distance to discover his passion - yodeling! A performer from the tender age of three, he has sung everything from western ballads to barbershop music. It was during his travels to Austria in 1976 however, that he discovered the folk music that would be his life. Armed with recordings of the great yodelers, Kerry returned from Europe, determined to master this ancient art--and he did. While driving the family tractor around and around the potato fields, he practiced 14-15 hours a day. He drove his father crazy and was banished to practicing in the garage--to no avail, as yodeling carries very well. (Remember, it was used to communicate between hillside farms.)
Kerry's first yodeling performance was in 1977, at a major university orientation assembly. His yodeling brought 15,000 or so students to their feet for a standing ovation.
If you didn't watch this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alMbWx4lVL4&NR=1 do so. Wait until you get to the William Tell overture.