“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”
Some people know what they want to do in life at a very young age.
Many of the best soccer players, the best football players, the best racecar drivers, start their careers before they speak their first words.
They begin early and their discipline becomes the only thing they know how to do.
I watched Max Verstappen throw the first pitch at a Marlins game the other day. The world’s top Formula 1 driver’s ball-throwing form was fairly horrendous. It brought me to wonder if anyone teaches these people how to throw a ball before they thrust them out in front of thousands of eyeballs. You’d think they’d seek out some kind of instruction to avoid embarrassing themselves.
Not starting early isn’t the kiss of death though. A little over ten years ago, I’d never set foot on a golf course. Now, however, it’s become my primary obsession. I may not be Tiger Woods, but my friends joke that they brought the ringer when they add me to their scramble team. Humble brag. I definitely don’t deserve that kind of praise.
Kevin Durant said, “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”
Being the best at something doesn’t require you to start before you can walk. The important thing is to put in the work.
In his book, Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell refers to the need of 10,000 hours to truly master a subject. While I don’t necessarily agree with everything Mr. Gladwell has said in his time, I do know that no matter what you do, you’re going to have to put in some time.
I’d never taken a photo with a legitimate camera until 2 years ago. I had no idea what an aperture was. Couldn’t have told you what ISO was. But slowly and surely, photography has become an obsession.
Rarely, do we go somewhere and my camera isn’t in tow. Yes, it drives Katie nuts. But only by taking hundreds and thousands of photos, will the work become truly great. After 100,000, I might just create a masterpiece.
I’ve even picked up a drone to learn more about photography. It scares the hell out of me. My hands shake like the paint shaker at the hardware store every time I hold the sticks. Dipping your toes into an ocean of airspace is no joke.
The point is, it’s never to late to start something new. Even if it makes you want to pee a little every time you try it. You just have to push through and make the ink sink into the paper.