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Great summary, and this is also why a lot of people quit their dreams before they even began. It's also why having great parents encourage this consistency at

Great summary, and this is also why a lot of people quit their dreams before they even began. It's also why having great parents encourage this consistency at a young age is so powerful, it's not really innate talent anointed by the gods, but decades of consistency. We just see a 20 year old show up and be great at [skill] compared to their counterparts and then label them innately talented, but ignore the years of showing up. It's universally true, Celine Dion started singing when she was 5, Michael Jordan when he was 5. We aren't just talking carelessly singing or mindless games (although it might have felt that way to the child), but serious efforts: Celine for example was encouraged by family to sing at weddings at a young age. She came from a musical family so she was encouraged to compose, work on musical technique, etc. it wasn't random singing but already "professionally" training. For some this is dreadful to hear, if they weren't doing some skill as a child their lives are over. However I would reframe that, it's quite optimistic. You can do what you dream of if you start right now and realize it's going to take years of showing up.

orbz 3y ago
Kind of makes you wonder about the process of apprenticeship from the renaissance period where kids would start in a trade at 7-12 and literally live with the masters that taught them. Is that what it takes for greatness in a craft?
- waboremo 3y ago
  It does make you think about that process, Leonardo da Vinci for example was already training at ~14 due to his father's status letting him train under the renowned Verrocchio. We already see several things here: parents with enough resources to seek strong mentors where they cannot be, wanting to foster specific skills, and a kid showing up consistently. Potentially, our extreme infantilization of kids and teens (helicopter parenting, baby voice talking, avoiding responsibilities/recognition of skill, etc) have likely been a huge reason why many are stuck with this "fixed mindset" noted in the article. It feeds into the myth as well, someone like Leonardo appearing in public "fully formed" would seem like he was god-like when you're the same age.
foogazi 3y ago
> It's also why having great parents Is that talent or hard work ? How did THEY become great ? There are a lot of links on the causal chain
- waboremo 3y ago
  Neither: great in that sentence was about being a positive supportive parent.

orbz 3y ago

Kind of makes you wonder about the process of apprenticeship from the renaissance period where kids would start in a trade at 7-12 and literally live with the masters that taught them. Is that what it takes for greatness in a craft?

waboremo 3y ago
It does make you think about that process, Leonardo da Vinci for example was already training at ~14 due to his father's status letting him train under the renowned Verrocchio. We already see several things here: parents with enough resources to seek strong mentors where they cannot be, wanting to foster specific skills, and a kid showing up consistently. Potentially, our extreme infantilization of kids and teens (helicopter parenting, baby voice talking, avoiding responsibilities/recognition of skill, etc) have likely been a huge reason why many are stuck with this "fixed mindset" noted in the article. It feeds into the myth as well, someone like Leonardo appearing in public "fully formed" would seem like he was god-like when you're the same age.

foogazi 3y ago

> It's also why having great parents Is that talent or hard work ? How did THEY become great ? There are a lot of links on the causal chain

waboremo 3y ago
Neither: great in that sentence was about being a positive supportive parent.