many more hours ....

[YMWong]

[Ryan T.]

I find it interesting that you bring this up as I am toward the end of "Talent is Overrated" just now this week.

 

I find the idea of "deliberate practice" to be quite profound for me personally.

 

I am currently trying to come to some hard decisions regarding several practices that I want to excel in but as of yet have not put the "deliberate practice" into. I am actually doing a bit of soul-searching as to what is most important to me and what will need to be dropped or put on the back burner.

[DaoChild]

I agree with Ryan - a fascinating article, but not completely true.

 

I recently read this article, and in the process of ordering "Talent is Overrated".

 

It's inspiring (And partially true) that genius is made, not born. But at the same time, genetics DOES take a larger part than we think. What type of family we are born into makes a difference, genetically your body make up makes a difference. E.g. if you are born 5 ft tall, 130 pound male, you will probably never play professional football - no matter how hard you train.

 

So there are some constraints, but overall an inspiring article.

[innerspace_cadet]

Thanks for posting the article, I found it very interesting. I'd have to agree with DaoChild; genetics and even innate intelligence have to figure into the equation to some degree. Yes, to become adept at anything, you will have to put in thousands of hours of practice. But I would argue that people toward the "gifted" range of intelligence tend to have more focus and drive to begin with, which gives them a built-in advantage.

 

I am speaking from observation and experience, because I used to work at a special education school. Many of the mentally retarded students were simply so unmotivated that they needed constant guidance just to finish their assignments, whereas the higher IQ students needed much less supervision. But keep in mind, this is just a generalization.

 

However, this article gives me hope that I can become skilled at almost anything if I devote enough time to it. The problem is deciding what to become adept at. Qigong? Kung Fu? Meditation? Yoga? Poetry? Art? There are only so many hours in the day.

[WhiteTiger]

I can not personally claim that the family your born into... and the ability to learn how to work hard to access these abilities easier rather then harder for the talented or geniuses, isn't true.

 

I'm not sure that the article is also pointed at that. It is however seem to be a preservative article.

Edited May 29, 2009 by WhiteTiger

[hagar]

I can not personally claim that the family your born into... and the ability to learn how to work hard to access these abilities easier rather then harder for the talented or geniuses, isn't true.

 

I'm not sure that the article is also pointed at that. It is however seem to be a preservative article.

 

My girlfriend works as an art teacher for kids. She has the same experience. "Genius" really does not exist.

If you create enough space in the minds of children, or maintain whatever space there is left after societal and parental conditioning sets in, this space is filled with creative energy. And it is completely without boundaries.

 

So in that sense, any kind of elitist idea of "gifted" children is actually a complete fallacy. Every human being has the "divine spark". We are all Mozart, given the right conditions of growth. It does not come in measures.

 

My girlfriend has the experience that children who are poor performers, have "ADD" or even autistic actually have immense potential, and can understand extremely advanced concepts in contemporary art, far exceeding that of "normal" adults. Its all about giving space for understanding, and removing preconceptions of how reality actually is.

 

Formula for creating a genius: Remove preconceptions, give complete trust, complete attention, and TIME.

 

h

[WhiteTiger]

I can not personally claim that the family your born into... and the ability to learn how to work hard to access these abilities easier rather then harder for the talented or geniuses, isn't true.

 

I'm not sure that the article is also pointed at that. It is however seem to be a preservative article.

 

Well, I didn't state weather this article even though its preservative one, isn't based on fact. Which I believe is completely true. It only says one side to the story although my personal thoughts on the matter is that this article is completely and utterly correct. When people realize there are no bounds (at least that the human being can understand) to how fast one can get at anything.