A very common misconception. There's an active scientific field, sociology of performance, that studies exactly this, how excellence is made, and they have simp

A very common misconception. There's an active scientific field, sociology of performance, that studies exactly this, how excellence is made, and they have simply concluded that talent equals experience. I recommend "The mundanity of excellence" by Chambliss. Here's a scribd link: http://www.scribd.com/doc/2926754/The-Mundanity-of-Excellence http://www.scribd.com/doc/2926754/The-Mundanity-of-Excellenc... "So, anyone who sings (deliberately trying, I'll grant you) for long enough will be a great singer. Anyone who swings a golf club long enough will be a great golfer." Yup, that's it, as long as it's deliberate practice - which is not just practicing deliberately.