Hello dear reader,

Happy Monday!

You are receiving this email as a part of my 'Mindful Monday Newsletter'

Today I want to share about Talent Vs. Hardwork Vs. Audacity.

This has been on my mind for quite some time and I wanted to share my thoughts about it.

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When it comes to talent, we think that this world is divided into two- talented and non-talented people.

You are either talented or you’re not.

And if you’re not, there’s nothing much you can do about it.

So we go on with our lives.

We grow up. We take jobs.

We come back home, think of what to have for dinner, look after our kids, watch TV and carry on with our lives repeating it every day.

None of it is bad.

These are all very important parts of our everyday lives, but occasionally we come across people or see someone who is exceptionally good at dancing, acting, singing, etc.

They light up a spark in us.

“Wow! She’s so talented”, we say to ourselves.

And then we go back to our most common wish/regret, “If only I had that much talent”

Or sometimes we may even feel a tinge of jealousy when we see someone who has made it.

We become critical of his/her accomplishments and do not try to acknowledge them.

We say, “But he’s not that good”,

“I could do better than him”

And it is here that I want to share what I have now come to learn about talent.

And it is this- Talent is not everything. Hard work is. Audacity is.

Talent grows by being used

Talent is like a garden. It grows by watering it daily and continuously, but withers if it’s not taken care of.

If it was only for talent, Beyonce wouldn’t have needed hours of rehearsal.

The swimmer who won the Olympic medal wouldn’t have needed hours of practice.

The greatest standup comedian wouldn’t have needed hours of scripting and rehearsing.

In one of the interviews, the writer of the book, The Book Theif which has been now translated into 40 different languages, sold more than 8 million copies, and has been on New York’s best sellers list for over 200 weeks said he rewrote the first part of his book 200 times.

The great basketball player Kobe Bryant would always be the first to arrive and last to leave. He would show up for the scheduled 7 a.m. practice at 5 a.m. and work harder than anybody.

We think talent is all it takes to be successful, but the truth is- talent is what takes the least.

We only need talent in the beginning- to find out what we are ‘even a little bit’ good at than the rest.

After finding that out, it then all comes down to hard work, dedication, practice and determination.

To put it simply, here is a pie chart of it.

Audacity is more important than talent

I hear so many people disregard other people’s successes, their work, and their lives and criticise them.

Earlier I used to join them in their criticism, but now I mostly keep shut and instead feel immense respect for them.

Success as now I see it is not only a matter of talent, but more of audacity.

I know so many people who are talented- talented at making people laugh, talented at making music, talented in writing, talented in singing, but they don’t do anything much about it. They just keep it to themselves.

Whereas I see many who may be, that they are less talented than others, but they had the audacity to go after it.

They were brave and audacious enough to go after their heart’s calling.

They had the audacity to say yes to the grit, the determination, the hard work, the practice and even the criticism that they might encounter.

And for this, they all deserve respect and appreciation.

Whereas the critics are only playing safe.

I recently watched the documentary of the trending Punjabi Singer ‘A.P- Dhillion- First of a Kind’ and I loved how they all went after their crazy dreams and made it a reality.

So, yes, talent IS needed, but talent is mostly born only ‘After’ and not ‘before’. After the dedication, after the hard work, after the practice and after the patience and not before it.

As Richard Schmid puts it.

“Don’t bother about whether or not you have it. Just assume that you do and forget about it. Talent is a word we use after someone has become accomplished”

All of us are talented in one thing or the other.

There can’t be that God forgot to put any seeds of talent in you. It just can’t.

If you find out what you are naturally good at even just a bit, or that which you’re naturally drawn to, that is your talent and if we have the audacity to go after it, that is how we slowly close the gap between what we are and what we could be.

I hope we have the audacity to go after it.

The world needs more talented people- people who are talented in making a difference in the world in whatever way they choose.

xx

Journal Prompt of the Week

What is something in your life that if you put enough attention and care, can grow wonderfully? Why are you putting it off?

Blog Post of the Week

I have been able to reduce my screen time greatly in the past few weeks so I share tips that worked for me and a few others.

​25 Helpful ways to reduce screen time​

Quote of the Week

One from others

"The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without the work"

-Emile Zola

One from me

Each time you step out of your comfort zone is each time you step in to the courage you didn't know you had.

xx

This much for today,

Wish you a wonderful week ahead!

Love and prayers,

Vishaka | vishakablone.com | Instagram​

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