Richard Hogan: Talent is not a gift, but the product of hard work

"When you become interested in something at an early age, when the plasticity in the brain is at its most responsive and you become interested in something and you work at improving your competency, talent develops"

Success isn't just about attainment - but about the hard work we don't see.

It is very easy to fall into the myriad traps the modern world has waiting for us. Ubiquitous information means we are never turned off, we are always plugged into something. We stay busy for fear of being left behind, constantly feeding on social media to stay relevant and seeking approval from people we care little about, the modern list could go on and on. However, one of the biggest traps, I see in my work as a psychotherapist, is the talent concept. 

The notion of talent is a very mysterious thing. The hand of providence seems to brush over more than others. The talented are mercurial creatures, moody and elusive. I’m thinking of Bob Dylan? How does it come to land on one person and give them such a bounty of gifts while ignoring others? The notion of talent is quite an exclusive thing. You either have it or you don’t.