Talent vs. Work Ethic

You’re back in high school.  Your teacher is handing back the test you spent hours studying for, and your palms are sweaty with anticipation.  Was all of that hard work worth it?  You flip over the graded paper, heart pounding, and see an A+.  Before you have the chance to feel proud, the kid next to you says the most irritating comment possible: “You’re so lucky.”

Nothing diminishes an accomplishment like giving all of the credit to luck.  It’s as if raw talent and alignment of the stars created your success, and it simply isn’t true.  You could be the luckiest person in the world or the most talented person in the world, but without work ethic, you’ll achieve nothing.

With the willingness to work hard, you can be successful at anything regardless of talent.  Sure, talent helps, and you may never be the best without some natural ability.  But you can improve, you can set personal goals, and you can reach them.  So, which would you rather have: talent, or work ethic?