In blog post #955, I came out as a knucklehead. I told you about some of the more embarrassing faux pas in my life here to fore forgotten, albeit ruminated about during tough times. 

I used to be embarrassed and tortured by my lack of talent. I watched others who took to sports, musical instruments, math, science, or fashion with effortless grace while I oafishly clattered on trying to balance the equation, make the shot, or look the part. The stumbles misses, and miscalculations were epic. I once put a piece of bread on a fork to toast it over the campfire like my cousins were doing, only to watch my fork bend and drop the bread into the fire while they laughed hysterically. Their forks were metal; the one I chose was plastic.

What I came to learn over time is that the tortoise and the hare lesson is confirmed.

When nothing comes easy, you don’t expect anything to come easy, so you double down on your effort in order not to be left in the dust.

Talent, I’ve come to learn, is overrated while extreme effort is overlooked. 

I get hired as a speaker, a coach, and a consultant. 

Why would anyone hire the idiot who picked the plastic fork?

It’s because of the plastic fork (and the accompanying laughter) that I get hired. The plastic fork moments of my early business career drove me to research and learn in an effort not to repeat them. Nothing came easy, so I decided to work hard.

Malcolm Gladwell famously said that it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at anything, and I’ve logged in at least that many hours in my field. I’ve read everything I could find. I’ve listened to countless hours of audio programs and podcasts. I’ve hired coaches and taken classes. How many hours do you think I would have put in had I been born with “talent”?

Desire wins.  

Own your sales gene…