Hard work beats talent

When we see exceptional performers in any field of human endeavor be it science, music, arts, sports, or spirituality. We wonder whether they were born with the talent or gift or did they develop it as a result of years of dedicated practice.

On the topic of gifted people, the first name that comes into the mind of most people is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart who at the age of 4 was proficient in many musical instruments and at the age of 7 he undertook a tour of Europe, that etched his name in the minds of the people as an all-time legend in music. Mozart had another trick up his sleeve when he heard a sound, he could immediately identify the musical note without any reference. This ability to identify notes and chords without a reference scale is called absolute pitch.

One out of 10,000 people around the world has the ability for absolute pitch. It is said either you are born with it, your brain is configured for it or it is not. However, one music teacher in Japan set about debunking this theory. Her name was Ayako Sakakaibara of the Ichionkai Music School. She gathered 24 students between the age of 2 & 6. They were subjected to training sessions of 2 to 5 minutes, 4 to 5 times a day for a period of 57 weeks. By the end of it, 2 of them had developed perfect pitch. The two of them who did not were the ones who had voluntarily dropped out of the program.

Now, these results are astonishing. On one hand, 1 out of 10,000 people has the talent for a perfect pitch which it is believed you are born with. On the other hand 2 out of 24 children of Ayako Sakakibara School Dvevloped how this tied up with Mozart Story.

There is more to it than is often told. His father was himself a musician with great ambitions that he could not fulfill. So he projected his aspirations on to his children. His elder child a daughter called Maria Anna, it is said of her that her proficiency in name music matched that of professional musicians. From her Leopold Mozart probably learned how to teach children better. In fact, he even wrote a book on teaching music to the little ones.

That goes to prove that the human brain is immensely teachable. It doesn’t mean that we all can become not only Einstein but far better than what we can ever imagine. This brain of ours, as we grow keeps on increasing its neurons till the age of 14. After that, the number of neurons does not increase but the synapses between the neurons remain till the end, Hence the opportunity for learning continues even in old age.

Our Vedic philosophy says that even if Mozart was born with the gift it was the consequence of his practice in previous lives. Nobody can achieve talent & mastery without practice in this life or past year.

In Chanakyaneeti, Chanakya Pandit gives a disclaimer stating that you may have born with great talent but if you don’t practice you will squander it all way, and no matter you’re poor in any skill if you put in sufficient effort then you will master it.