Does hard work matter more than talent?

  Which is more beneficial for success: talent or hard work? People with natural talent automatically have an upper hand in life, but people who are driven to put in the hard work may have the advantage in the long run.

 There is proof that hard work is more valuable than talent. Malcolm Gladwell discusses the 10,000 hour rule in his book Outliers, where he says that 10,000 hours of guided practice are the key to being successful in your field, which usually takes about ten years.

 For example, after looking at 76 famous classical composers, psychologist John Hayes found that only three of them created their greatest work in under ten years. Also in music, the countless hours that The Beatles spent playing shows at dive bars and such could be considered an important reason as to why they became so successful.

 When asked if he thought talent or hard work was more important, sophomore Johnny Worthen said, “Hard work beats talent every time because in order to be considered ‘talented,’ you have to put in the work.” This idea is logical to me because no one wakes up one day just knowing how to do neurosurgery. They study and practice for years, putting in the work that may be considered talent by others.

 Another reason why hard work is more valuable is that it is representative of the person’s character. Someone who has a great work ethic will be more successful than someone who does not. This can be seen in school. Those who procrastinate (including myself) may not finish all of their work on time, resulting in a bad grade, and if this behavior is repetitive, a lower average grade in that class. This is why those students who do their work when it is assigned are typically more successful in school. This is just another example of how hard work can pay off in the long run more than natural talent.

When you think of basketball, who comes to mind as the most talented player of all time? There is a great chance you thought of Michael Jordan. However, it was not talent that allowed Jordan to make the team. Jordan made the junior varsity basketball team in his high school, but was not satisfied. He worked extremely hard to become the star of that JV team, and moved up to varsity the following year. Because of his hard work, he has become one of the most well-known, talented NBA players of all time.

 Talent is not nearly as important as hard work. If someone has an innate ability to succeed at something, they will not put in as much effort as someone who has little or no talent for an activity. Generally, this will end up holding them back from their full potential. In the grand scheme of things, those who are willing to put in lots and lots of work in order to get better at something are those who will succeed, in due time.