Would you rather be born talented--or unstoppable?
Being born talented is one thing. Gifted in a particular set of skills that seem to have come from God himself. No room for learning something new to enhance the individual.
However, being born unstoppable doesn't imply this monomath lifestyle where you focus your life on one skill area and career path.
It implies the opposite.
So which would you choose?
The best example I have of when persistence got me what I wanted was when I desired to work at the Apple Store.
I applied every 45 days for four years before I got the job.
What this taught me was that if you want it bad enough, you will do anything in your power to make it so. No amount of excuses or distractions can deter you. You are locked in on achieving results.
More recently, I also learned that you have to be patient.
The bigger the dream, the longer it'll take to realize.
I also realized that there's an art to realizing your dreams. You have to be able to let go. Stillness in mind, body, and spirit is a must. A belief in the idea that the universe guides your actions. What is meant for you is already yours.
The Myth of Talent
Society at large glorifies those who have talent.
Including but not limited to genius athletes, prodigy musicians, and brilliant coders.
Talent is great!
It gives those with it an advantage, but if they aren't persistent, talent won't get them far.
Behind what we perceive as talent is a lot of reps and hard work. That star athlete likely gets up at the crack of dawn to prep for a game long before his teammates. It's this type of dedication to your craft that will have people thinking you were born with talent.
People don't see the behind-the-scenes work enough to make it a normal thing, let alone discuss it.
The bottom line?
Talent is the result of a lot of hard work by the individual that no one sees, and usually starts at a very young age.
The Power of Persistence
What is persistence, then?
In the simplest terms, it's showing up regularly to hone your craft, adapting when new information or experience becomes available, and refusing to quit until you're the best.
The successful are also aware of the power of compounding persistence.
I've been publishing a newsletter for over 8 months, and while there are many great benefits I've experienced as a result, this is only the beginning.
The exponential curve of compounding will help me achieve many of my future goals.
It can do the same for you.
Persistence helps build mastery, resilience, opportunity, and momentum, which are all important blocks of success.
It's one of those skills that a lot of people ignore, and you can use to your advantage.
Practical Ways to Cultivate Persistence
Living is the only way to get experience.
What I've learned along the way is that you have to start reframing setbacks as progress markers. The more failures you acquire, the closer you get to a solution, which is why it's so important you never give up.
I often will use minimum effort rules. Simply put, I do the bare minimum on the days I don't feel like doing anything. That includes setting a timer for 5 minutes and doing the damn thing.
9 times out of 10, I wound up doing the thing longer than 5 minutes after entering flow.
But the point is that I did the thing.
This could be anything from reading, writing, coding, learning, whatever it is.
I also track streaks, not necessarily results.
I do this because it's a simple truth that the more you do something, the better you get at it.
So if you're coding daily for a year, you're going to have a lot more experience and skills than someone who only codes once in a blue moon.
Don't worry if you weren't born with the most talent. Outlast everyone else. Persistence is the real superpower.
The Apple Store story was inspiring and I really admire the persistence it took to keep applying for 4 years until you got your dream job. That level of dedication is rare and it makes your perspective on persistence so authentic. You did a great job showing that persistence creates what looks like talent. I especially connected with the idea of letting go and trusting the universe while still putting in the reps. I’m going to start using your 5-minute minimum rule to keep momentum going even on my low-energy days. Thanks for the fresh perspective today Idris!
This is such a refreshing take on talent vs. persistence. I’ve always admired people who seem naturally gifted but you showed that behind most of that is years of invisible work. I’m going to start celebrating my reps more instead of getting discouraged when results don’t come fast enough. Even minimum effort on tough days builds momentum. I know my daughter will benefit from this lesson too. Thank you for writing this Idris Elijah, it’s one of your best!