<p>I do not believe “innate” talent exists. At the same time, I do not subscribe to the idea of “believing in oneself and trying hard enough” to accomplish things; luck plays a big role as well. I define luck as the mathematical probability or possibility of something happening (e.g. individual leaves for work 10 minutes earlier than normal, thus avoiding a car crash that said individual would have otherwise been involved in, had the individual left for work at the normal time).</p>
<p>I find it odd that people seem to limit talent to certain professions such as mathematician, violinist, painter, chess grandmaster, athlete, physicist, among others. How about janitors, plumbers, bakers, garbage collectors, cops, teachers, etc? Is there “innate” talent for those professions?</p>
<p>Yet another problem I see is how some people believe there is a linear path to success. For example, the person two posts above commented that no matter how hard he (s)he trained, (s)he would not be able to top Michael Phelps; what if that person trains her/himself to become a transoceanic swimmer? Would Michael Phelps be able to compete in that subfield of swimming? There are many subfields within the different fields and one may always become a “genius” or “expert” by focusing on some obscure subfield that very few people know about. Then there is the problem of comparing across subfields: is being a great violinist harder or easier than being a great drummer?</p>
<p>Finally, what about technology? How many people we consider “geniuses” or “talented” have been directly or indirectly aided by technology? Many physicists now utilize computers to perform their jobs and have more advanced machines at their disposal; many violinists have benefited from improved training techniques, nutrition, better living standards, etc; athletes like Michael Phelps now use advanced swimming suits and enjoy access to modern training facilities.</p>
<p>I think too many people waste their energy worrying about whether or not they possess “talent”. Those people would be better of investing their energy into doing something productive.</p>