Talent vs Hard Work: What Is More Important for Success?

What do you believe is more important: talent or hard work?

If you believe that talent is important, you may not pursue your dreams because you don’t believe that you got what it takes.

But is it enough to just work hard?

In this article, we will take a look at talent and hard work. And we will try to answer the question: is hard work more important than talent?

Why is talent important for success?

Everyone has some talents.

But how important is it for success?

Well, that depends…

Take a look at Wolfgang Mozart. He composed his first musical masterpiece at the age of 5. And at the age of 7, he went on his first tours to perform his abilities for the world.

Clearly, talent plays a tiny role here.

But could he achieve the same success if it only came down to hard work?

It’s a difficult question to answer.

What we do know for sure is that talent certainly plays a key role in achieving success fast. And if you want to become the very best in your field, talent gives you a head start for sure.

But does that mean you can’t achieve success without talent?

How important is hard work?

Let’s take a look at Kobe Bryant. He scored 0 points over the Summer Basketball League when he was 12 years old. 

Not quite the kid you expect to become a basketball star.

Yet, Kobe Bryant became one of the greats. He is in the top 5 of the NBA’s all-time scoring list, passing the great Michael Jordan.

So how did he do it?

When he scored 0 points in the summer league, Kobe felt that he embarrassed his dad. But while most people would give up, Kobe turned his emotion into his biggest driver.

Kobe became obsessed with hard work.

When you somewhat know the story of Kobe Bryant, you’ll attribute his success to a set of skills that have nothing to do with talent – and everything to do with hard work.

In other words, you can become super successful without talent.

But what is more important: talent or hard work?

In a perfect world, everyone who has the ambition would work relentlessly and easily overcome challenges. If that were the case, talent would beat hard work every time.

But we don’t live in a perfect world.

Just because talent gives you an edge at first, success won’t be handed to you. Instead, you still need to work incredibly hard to achieve what you want.

So if you lack talent, you can outwork talented people. You just need to work a little harder on yourself and your craft than those who are talented to achieve greatness. 

Of course, that’s not an easy task.

But certainly not impossible.

Talent helps you on the way, but without hard work, you will simply be outworked. So whether you have talent or not, you will always need to work hard.

Besides, talent is something you either do or do not have. But work ethic is a habit you can develop, which will bring you much further in life.

That’s why hard work always beats talent.

The synergy between hard work and talent

Here’s an interesting final thought…

If you like what you do, chances are that you are somewhat talented in that area. Usually, we gravitate towards areas that lie within our strength.

And if you don’t like what you do, chances are that you won’t work hard enough to succeed. It will be quite the challenge to stay consistent and persevere if you lack joy.

Either way, don’t be obsessed with whether you have talent or not…

Instead, become obsessed with pursuing a path you love and then work hard to achieve your success. That’s how you will outwork those who rely on talent.

Here’s the conclusion:

Talent can give you a head-start, but hard work beats talent when it comes to success.

What’s next?

While talent can provide an initial advantage, hard work surpasses talent every time in achieving long-term success.

Key takeaways:

• Both talent and hard work play a role in success. Talent provides initial advantages (consider child prodigies) whereas hard work can compensate for a lack of early talent (consider people like Kobe Bryant).
• The synergy between liking what you do and your talent enhances motivation and perseverance, while lacking joy in your pursuit can hinder success.
• Slight talent and work go hand in hand. You experience more joy when you work within your personal strengths. And you’re more likely to work hard at something you somewhat enjoy doing. So if you find something you enjoy, don’t let a lack of talent hold you back.

Dive deeper into these topics with these great resources:

• Best personality tests to uncover your unique advantages.
• Book: Talent Is Overrated by Geoff Colvin
• Book: Grit by Angela Duckworth
• Course: Complete Time Management Course Raise Personal Productivity on Udemy
• Tool: Goals on Track is a goal-setting and task-management system. I use this tool to gain clarity and take consistent action towards my goals.

Take action: Set life goals and prioritize the one that attracts you the most (you can have a few). Then, use a goal-setting planner to set daily goals and block time to work on your craft or develop skills and habits to achieve your goal. 

Finally, sign up below to gain weekly strategies tailored to help you achieve success and fulfillment.