What is talent?

From time to time, I hear people saying that someone has incredible talent in a particular area, and they feel they can’t compare. Of course, there are individuals with extraordinary abilities—like Magnus Carlsen, Lionel Messi, or top-level athletes. But does that mean you’re talentless? I’ve started to believe this mindset is often an excuse to justify laziness.

Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Outliers, discusses the “10,000-hour rule” required to master any skill. This got me thinking: talent might be like the learning rate (alpha) in gradient descent models in machine learning. You might be more or less naturally suited for a particular skill, but ultimately, mastery still demands time and effort. As UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov once said, “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”

Another interesting concept related to hard work comes from Cal Newport’s book Deep Work. In today’s world, dominated by social media and instant gratification, we’ve become less inclined to delay rewards in favor of long-term success. Newport highlights the difference between superficial work and deep, focused work—the kind of effort that leads to meaningful achievements.

To anyone reading this: find what ignites a fire within you. Then, outwork everyone else and become the “talent” others admire but aren’t willing to sacrifice for.