There’s a wonderful PEANUTS cartoon by Charles M.Schulz that features Sally Brown
Sally. Image from Peanuts Wiki
complaining to her teacher about the “C” she received on her coat hanger sculpture.
She asks the teacher several questions about how her work was judged. Here’s one of them.
“…was I judged on my talent? If so, is it right that I be judged on a part of life over which I have no control?”
I love this cartoon. (found in Future Force by Elaine McClanahan and Carolyn Wicks) It’s funny and includes powerful lessons.
For example, when Sally says that she has no control over her talent, she really thinks she’s trumped the teacher. Many of you might have had the same reaction. However, that – what I’m going to call – limited thinking is part of a fixed mind-set that most of you were raised with and can keep you stuck and not doing what you really want to do.
The fixed mindset says that “talents and personalities are more or less inborn, carved in stone, as compared to a “growth mind set that believes success is a result of effort as much as or more than aptitude.”
For example, if you believe that you weren’t born with the talent for writing and you believe in a fixed mind set, why would you attempt writing a book or articles? You’d believe you were doomed to fail. That’s the same thinking as Sally Brown’s belief that she could do no better on her sculpture because she wasn’t born with a talent in sculpture/art. However, if Sally had a growth mind-set, she would realize she could become a prize-winning coat hanger sculptor if she:
- started to practice making sculptures consistently for a period of time every day
- took classes to learn techniques and the best coat hangers to use
- hired a coat hanger sculpture coach
By the same token you could become a successful writer (or something else you want to do) if you deliberately set aside time every day to practice writing; if you remained consistent in that practice over a lengthy period of time and if it’s something you really want to do.
I’ve read many articles that refer to Tiger Wood’s natural talent and athletic ability. Perhaps those things are true, I don’t really know. But what I do know is that he had been practicing golf virtually every day, for hours, for 15 years before he became the youngest ever winner of the U.S. Amateur Championship. Woods still practices up to 8 hours daily. It’s the practice and effort that makes him a success.
As long as you retain a fixed mind-set you’re destined to limit yourself to work that you think you can do naturally, easily. You’ll be less willing to try, try, try again in the field you want to work in or play in. You won’t struggle at something believing that it’s about innate talent rather than practice and effort.
On Saturday, I overheard with sadness a young woman telling a kid “She took Japanese and it was so hard she had to quit in two weeks.” Had to quit because she was struggling with learning a foreign language after only two weeks of effort. <sigh> These kind of statements aren’t just said to children, I hear adults saying it about themselves all the time. “I can’t draw, I just have no talent for it.” “She’s a natural at writing, wish I were.” “I don’t know how to run a business on-line so I’m sticking with what I know.”
Stop limiting your possibilities, just get out there and fail and fail and fail until you learn how to do what you want to do. Practice doesn’t make perfect but it sure makes you better.
What success stories can you share that were born of you not giving up, of failing repeatedly but continuing to forge ahead?
I would love to get to know you! Join me on 
Love this….yes, I guess I am thinking about the Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers concept that it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert…so that’s 3 hours of practice a day w/b 10 years, so 6 hours a day is 5 – 6 years or so …so not really all that long if it is a vocation we are talking about? I am so glad you brought this up, as I had FORGOTTEN all about this! thanks! Inspirational!
I needed it~!!
Kathy,
Good connection to Outliers. I want to revisit that book, it’s been awhile.
You are welcome for the inspiration and I thank you for the comment and feedback. Cherry
Thanks, Cherry, for an inspiring piece and wake up call at the same time. It’s always so refreshing to be reminded that it’s the sweat, not the talent, and human beings are really designed, neurologically, to struggle. Our brains love it … as long as we don’t allow fear levels to overwhelm. It’s those thoughts that breed fears … and our choices to make our work a labor of love … and both of those are completely in our control (even thought we may deny, ignore or refuse to accept this). Thanks for the humor too! : )
Athena,
Good point about not letting struggles becoming overwhelming which then creates fear.
I must remember to use the expression labor of love, it’s so much pleasanter sounding than simply labor.
Wonderful points about the toil, determination, and practice that goes into “genious.” Talent may be a bit more raw for others, but nobody is born with innate talent to succeed without a considerable amount of effort.
Charlie Brown comics are timeless, brilliant, and wonderful life-scripts.
TY, Cherry!
You’re welcome Linda and thanks for chiming in. Talent + toil (like that work) + success.
Hi Cherry
I so needed to hear this. It gave me a boost to keep going with my blog posts. I was one of those people who said “I’m not creative”. However, I have learned that I am – I create ideas, I create blog posts, I create colourful planting in the garden. It’s in my hands how I renew my mind.
Kate,
I’m so glad it gave you a boost. We all need that at times. More importantly, happy that you’ve been able to get past “I’m not creative.” Go girl! Cherry
I echo the other comments! It is all about grit, the willingness to work hard for something we really want. Sometimes having to struggle to achieve is a way to discover talent that we were never aware of, a talent that takes us to a level we’d never have known if we hadn’t tackled something difficult in the first place. Talent can be a curse if it allows us to find success too easily and quickly. I guess we just have to read People magazine every so often to discover that! Great post, Cherry. Thanks.
Dawn,
You smart-aleck (don’t hear that expression any more), saying about checking out People magazine to see the screwed up lives who made success too quickly & don’t know how to handle it. Love your grit, Cherry
Talent is defined partly as a “special natural ability or aptitude”, but what that could really mean is that some people are born “liking” certain things that others are not. Are you a born “drawer” or are you born with a “natural love of drawing” that turns you into a great artist should you decide to pursue it? If I were Sally, what I would really be saying to the teacher is “Look, I’m no sculptor…I don’t want to be or have aspirations of being a sculptor, so I’m not going to put a ton of time and effort trying to sculpt when I’m just not ‘feeling’ it, and by the way, I didn’t want to take this class in the first place.”
There are way too many examples of people that were told they would never make it in their profession because they lacked the talent, who through determination, consistency and practice have proven those who tried to squash their dreams wrong. Michael Jordan comes to mind.
Keep at–practicing and perfecting and don’t quit–yes that’s it. Super message to start the day. Thanks, Cherry!
I’m glad I started your day well with this post. You started mine well with your comment – the part of what you would have said to the teacher if you’d been Sally Brown. I laughed out loud.
You raise a good point that perhaps people are born liking or being interested in things vs. necessarily being a natural at it. With Tiger Woods, his dad loved golf and got him going.
Cherry,
This is why I’ve been getting up early to write my morning pages since the new year began. Practice, practice, practice. I hope it makes perfect. It’s not always easy, though. And sometimes I get discouraged. But I keep at it.
;-)
Keeping at it when you’re discouraged is difficult but, as you know, that’s so important. The struggle is worth the results. Hugs to you Erin, Cherry
Wow, I love this post Cherry,
I am lucky that I am born stubborn. I call it persistent though, and of course I had to work on that too. My mother told me as a child that I was lazy when I didn’t like to do my chores. But the last thing I am is lazy when there is something I am interested in. She also said to me to go out and play when I wanted to lie in bed reading after school. My mother said many things that I still hear in my head. I have to shake it to wake up and remind myself that what she said have more to do with her than with me.
I often hear from clients in my therapy practice: “This is just the way I am”. Not true! This is how we tell ourselves that we are, so we don’t have to change.
Great post! It is a fantastic reminder that I have the most amazing ability to RESIST, to claim quite righteously that I simply can NOT do a particular task… I’m very strong in the resistance.
But funny thing a lot of times I’m forced to do it anyway then fall in love with it and get pretty good!
I often tell people I teach that I HATED almost everything I now love, that it was intimidating, frustrating, annoying, but that if I can love it, they can too! Perhaps not enough people share their failures for us to appreciate the “magic talent” is really just plain hard work and pushing through the negativity.
Great reminder, thanks :)
I have had the same experience Elizabeth. Very interesting perspective; to take a look at what we resist and hate, and question why. How come there is so much energy invested in not doing something?
Great post! Have you read “Talent is Overrated” by Geoff Colvin? It goes right along with everything you’re saying. It’s a great read and inspired me that much more to practice a lot and to practice properly, and to not be discouraged when I’m not good fast enough.
Thanks Sarah. No I haven’t read Colvins’ book but will check it out now. Thanks for the suggestion. Cherry