The top 10% in terms of IQ is not all that exclusive. It's pretty much everyone you'd consider "smart" in an American suburban public high school. Depending whe

The top 10% in terms of IQ is not all that exclusive. It's pretty much everyone you'd consider "smart" in an American suburban public high school. Depending where you go to college or work, it may in fact include everyone you interact with on a daily basis. Within that range, I've known people who've grown up to be complete failures by any reasonable measure, and those who have become great successes. The work really matters more than anything, for any reasonable, predictable goal. You can't study/practice yourself into becoming an extraordinary anything (I'm talking like Albert Einstein / Bob Dylan level). But certainly those who reach that level do practice a lot. But they also had raw talent.