Imagine two people equally skilled in a particular way. Whatever it is, they both do it very well. They could be great athletes,artists, or even yodelers. Whatever the particular skill, they are both equal. Now imagine one was born with the skill, and the other had worked his entire life to perfect it. Who impresses you the most? How many of you would be more impressed by the person with natural talent?
Why is it that so many of us are impressed with talent given at birth versus the talent that comes with hard work? Is it jealousy? Do we want to be the person that does not have to work to get what we have? Are you really happier possessing a skill that you did not have to work for? We all have things in life we wish we could do and skills we would like to possess, but unless they were bestowed upon us at birth, we are not willing to work to attain them.
Consider the very real probability that very few people are born with the skills you imagined above. Just as the grass is always greener, things can look much easier when someone else is doing the heavy lifting. I have often wondered why things come so easy to some people without actually knowing how hard they actually worked to achieve them. We would all be better off worrying about working for what we want rather than worrying about how hard others are working for what they have.
Then there is the down side to being naturally good at something. If you have skills in a certain area, you have to work very hard to stay above the others. Rarely is anyone so good that they cannot be beaten or surpassed by hard work. That leaves those naturally gifted folks in the dubious position of having to work twice as hard to stay ahead or risk being average. How hard it must be to merely be average when you started life out in the lead.
How many very intelligent people fail out of college or do not even go? Intelligence, like skill, is only a starting point, and there is nothing more common than wasted talent. How many people do not try for fear of failing or being seen as average? We all have potential; we just have to decide whether we are willing to expose ourselves to the possibility of failure in order to reach our max.
The reality is that most folks are not given the gifts that we so often begrudge them. Most folks that make whatever they do look easy have hard work to thank for the illusion. My daughter brought this to light the other day when she reminded the boys in the family that dance is not easy, but when done correctly, that is the way it is supposed to look. The harder you work, the easier it looks.
WOULDA, COULDA, and SHOULDA are all things that those that do not try get to say. If you try, you do not get to say those things. If you try, you never have to wonder what your potential was or what you could have achieved in life.
Recognize nothing is as easy as it looks. Seeing the failures of others as attempts at greatness will remind you that you get nowhere if you do not try. Recognizing other people’s acceptance of the status quo in order to prevent the exposure of their own limitations should remind you that life is meant to be lived; if your life is easy, then you’re not trying hard enough. That’s true for everyone, especially those of us way up in the CHEAP SEATS!
Bill James is a co-founder of the James Law Firm with offices in Little Rock, Conway and Fayetteville, Arkansas. His primary area of practice is criminal defense. He can be contacted at Bill@JamesFirm.com