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I'm pretty sure talent is overrated. but I doubt in most cases that it exceeds 2-3 percentile point shift I think we'd all like to believe that we can do anyt

I'm pretty sure talent is overrated. but I doubt in most cases that it exceeds 2-3 percentile point shift I think we'd all like to believe that we can do anything we want if we try hard enough but where is your evidence? This is not a matter for good wishes but scientific proof. It's pretty clear that some physical variations contribute tremendously to ability in sports so it's illogical to accept on faith that no such similar variations exist in the brain.

CuriouslyC 10y ago
I agree that the natural variability in potential is such that an average person isn't going to ever get sufficiently good to medal at an olympics, or even attend one (except perhaps in unpopular sports). You shouldn't let the fact that your natural limit is only the 99th percentile instead of the 99.99th percentile make you feel like a failure though, you're still awesome. One thing I have noticed is that some people learn a skill much faster than others. That being said, the people who learn more slowly seem to reach about the same level eventually, it just takes them longer.
- cageface 10y ago
  I have not found that to be the case in software development. Some people get good very quickly and others are still mediocre after ten years of coding. That doesn't necessarily prove that coding ability is innate, of course, but it at least suggests that effort alone is not enough.
  - CuriouslyC 10y ago
    There's an old saying... Some people have 10 years of experience, others have one year repeated 10 times. If you're running a race, it doesn't matter how much effort you put in if you're going in the wrong direction. In many cases the ones with "talent" are the ones that chose a direction at random that just happened to be roughly correct. The root of the issue is that most people don't approach learning and skill development in anything even remotely close to a methodical, focused manner. They "just do it" and hope that the magical improvement fairy will sprinkle skill-dust on them while they sleep. Maybe they read a book or some articles from time to time, and occasionally think to apply the things they read, but that is about it. Do you think that these same people would take that approach if someone put a gun to their family and said "master XYZ or they die" ?

CuriouslyC 10y ago

I agree that the natural variability in potential is such that an average person isn't going to ever get sufficiently good to medal at an olympics, or even attend one (except perhaps in unpopular sports). You shouldn't let the fact that your natural limit is only the 99th percentile instead of the 99.99th percentile make you feel like a failure though, you're still awesome. One thing I have noticed is that some people learn a skill much faster than others. That being said, the people who learn more slowly seem to reach about the same level eventually, it just takes them longer.

cageface 10y ago
I have not found that to be the case in software development. Some people get good very quickly and others are still mediocre after ten years of coding. That doesn't necessarily prove that coding ability is innate, of course, but it at least suggests that effort alone is not enough.
- CuriouslyC 10y ago
  There's an old saying... Some people have 10 years of experience, others have one year repeated 10 times. If you're running a race, it doesn't matter how much effort you put in if you're going in the wrong direction. In many cases the ones with "talent" are the ones that chose a direction at random that just happened to be roughly correct. The root of the issue is that most people don't approach learning and skill development in anything even remotely close to a methodical, focused manner. They "just do it" and hope that the magical improvement fairy will sprinkle skill-dust on them while they sleep. Maybe they read a book or some articles from time to time, and occasionally think to apply the things they read, but that is about it. Do you think that these same people would take that approach if someone put a gun to their family and said "master XYZ or they die" ?