If you want freedom of life in its real sense – financial freedom, which is the foundation of every other freedom..
- Freedom to live anywhere
- Freedom to movement
- Freedom to build anything
- Freedom to spend your time according to your discretion and will
- And freedom to fasttrack any process of execution in your life
You need to begin to live your life outside the box of Talent…
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To be known, you need Talent, to be appreciated you need technical know-how, to have the freedom, you need Grit…
You want to be free from the trap of the popular thoughts around Talent which makes you think less of yourself, makes you feel you are enough to execute at any level, or begins to put you up for comparisons, the prison to keep your eyes away from your potentials…
To understand the the shift this letter will orchestrate in your mind, you need to first know that, to build anything that outlasts you, build a name that lives generations after you are long gone, and to pioneer a life changing moment or season that leaves people with an unprecedented impacts, Talent is not the first point of approach.
You have within you the capacity for greatness and astounding results, not because of your TALENT, no, never…
…but because of your RESOLVE.
We live in a world that sings praises of talent. It is glorified, and people kneel before it as if it were the almighty hand that guides destinies.
We hear it often, “That child is so talented,” or “He was born to do this.” Talent, is the commodity of the moment—the glittering prize handed to the chosen few.
But what if I told you that this belief, this pedestal upon which we place talent, is not only misleading but also dangerous? What if the idea of talent has held you captive, locked in a small room of self-doubt and comparison? What if the path you’ve been told to follow isn’t the one that leads to greatness?
I’m writing this letter to uncover the untold truth that may be uncomfortable: Talent, as we know it, is a seductive trap.
Growing up, I was told, like many of you, that talent is the essence of greatness. If you have it, your future is bright. If you don’t, well, that’s just the way of the world. For a long time, I believed this. We all do, don’t we?
I believed for so long that the guys who made it to the pitch are born with football, while the guys who made their ways through to the big stages are gifted to become a celebrated music maestro, that Michael Jackson and the likes were born to attract eyeballs with their dance steps…
We believe in the natural geniuses, the ones for whom life is a smooth ride to success, while the rest of us work ourselves to exhaustion, often in vain.
I ask you now—how many prodigies have you seen fizzle out like a firework in the night, bright for a fleeting moment before disappearing? And how many ordinary, often overlooked people, those who weren’t marked as special, have climbed slowly but surely to the pinnacle of their craft, leaving behind those “born with talent”?
You see, talent, my friend, is not what we’ve been led to believe. It can be a cage—one that restricts, rather than liberates.
Let’s talk briefly about the curse of it.
The Curse of “Talent & Grift”
The label “Talent & Gifted” is a double-edged sword. It whispers to you that you are special, that you have something others don’t. It strokes your ego and makes you feel invincible. But like a drug, it can also be addictive.
You become dependent on the label, afraid to lose it, and terrified of failure. You are expected to excel, always. And the pressure to live up to this label becomes suffocating.
More than this, talent can make you complacent.
It’s easy to coast when you believe you’re naturally good at something. You don’t need to push, to struggle, to sweat. You stop growing because, in your mind, you’ve all the bags at the snap of your fingers.
I’ve seen it too often—those blessed with talent hit their first wall and crumble. They’ve never had to work through obstacles before, never had to stretch beyond the comforts of their natural abilities. The moment they’re tested, they fall.
But those who have never relied on talent, who have had to fight for every inch of progress—they are the ones who rise and stay the course in the highs and lows of time.
Illusion of Effortless Genius – What People Don’t See About Genius
Let’s talk about the celebrated icons of our era—the Michael Jordans, the Mozarts, the Steve Jobs of the world. We often use them as examples of “natural talent,” as if they were simply born to greatness. But when we peel back the layers, we find something different: relentless effort, practice, and, above all, an unshakable belief in the power of hard work.
Michael Jordan wasn’t handed his success. He was cut from his high school basketball team. Let that sink in for a moment. The greatest basketball player of all time wasn’t seen as “good enough.” But he didn’t let that define him. Instead, he turned his rejection into fuel. Jordan spent hours in the gym, practicing until his hands were raw, refining his skills until he could turn talent into mastery.
Mozart, too, was not simply a child genius. His father, a composer, pushed him through grueling training sessions from a young age. His “natural” talent was not a gift bestowed by the heavens but a product of years of disciplined work.
And Steve Jobs? He was fired from his own company before making a comeback that would change the world. His genius wasn’t just in innovation but in resilience.
These are the truths hidden behind the illusion of talent. The genius we see from the outside is often the result of years, even decades, of deliberate practice and an unwillingness to be defined by “natural” abilities.
The Real Ingredient of Success
The real secret to success is grit. It’s that relentless, sometimes ugly determination that keeps you going when everything seems to be against you. Grit is the fire in your belly that tells you to get up after every failure. It’s the discipline to keep working when no one is watching, when no one cares, and when the rewards seem far away.
Talent may open the door, but it’s grit that will carry you across the threshold and place you on the bigger pedestal.
Angela Duckworth, a psychologist and researcher, put it succinctly: “Grit is passion and perseverance for long-term goals.” Those with grit aren’t necessarily the most talented, but they are the ones who keep showing up, day after day, through the highs and the lows. They are the ones who refuse to give up, even when the world tells them they should.
Grit doesn’t care about how naturally gifted you are. It only cares about how badly you want it and how hard you’re willing to work for it.
Why Talent Isn’t Enough?
If talent was all that mattered, the world would be a very different place. But look around—how many talented people have you seen fall short? How many individuals with incredible potential have you watched get swallowed by self-doubt, laziness, or fear of failure?
The truth is, talent alone won’t carry you through. It might help you start, yes. It might give you a slight edge in the beginning. But when life hits you hard, when things don’t go according to plan, when the inevitable challenges arise, talent will not be enough.
It is the ones who keep going, who stay in the race long after others have dropped out, that find success. They may not be the most talented. But they are the most determined.
That being said, now let’s talk about PRACTICE…
The Science and The Result of Deliberate Practice
So what is the antidote to the trap of talent? It’s deliberate practice. This is not just practice for practice’s sake. Deliberate practice is the kind that forces you to confront your weaknesses, to step outside of your comfort zone, and to push yourself to new levels.
It is about focusing not on what you’re already good at, but on what challenges you. It’s the athlete who works on their weakest move until it becomes a strength. It’s the musician who plays the same difficult passage a hundred times until it becomes second nature. It’s the writer who rewrites a single sentence twenty times until it finally sings.
Deliberate practice is where true mastery is forged.
I want you to do something today:
- Step away from the illusion of talent.
- Stop thinking that your success or failure is determined by some innate ability you were either born with or without.
- Stop allowing yourself to be defined by the labels others have given you—gifted, talented, ordinary.
None of that matters.
What matters is your willingness to show up, every single day, ready to work. What matters is your ability to push through when things get tough. What matters is your belief in yourself, not as someone who was “born” to do something, but as someone who will achieve greatness through grit, determination, and deliberate effort.
You have within you the capacity for greatness, not because of your talent, but because of your resolve.
So, you stop waiting for talent to light your path. Forge your own way, through grit, through perseverance, through deliberate practice–way to breakfree from the curse of a talent.
You are not defined by what you were born with—you are defined by what you do with it.
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Yours in the pursuit of greatness,
–King Hackosam, SAA
