Just imagine that you have been practicing for a piano recital for the past few months, working countless hours to perfect your pieces until your fingers ached. You did not have a knack for catching the beat and working with the dynamics, however, playing the piano was something you had a passion for and you continued to work towards your dream of becoming a world-famous pianist. On the day of your recital, you walk onto the stage and sit on your bench, fingers curled over the keys of the piano. You begin to play, only to realize you have gotten the dynamics and beats wrong. You realize that no matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to fulfill your dream because playing the piano isn’t your talent.

Then, imagine another situation: you are a skilled dancer who was born with the grace and flexibility that is prized by many. You participate in several competitions, however, you are well aware of your prodigious talent and you don’t feel the need to put in any actual work or effort. Instead, you laze around and rely solely on your talent to pursue a career in dance. Then, one day, you meet your match. Another dancer, just as talented as you are, only there’s a key difference between you two: the dancer has been preparing for months while you continued to waste time and refused to make any effort.

Hard work and talent are the two ingredients for any individual’s recipe for success. Talent provides the basic skills necessary to achieve the goal, and hard work drives one onto the path to success. Natural talent can come in many different forms, such a gifted voice, a keen ear towards music, or natural athleticism. However, can one solely rely on their talent to become successful?

Most people agree that there needs to be an equal amount of natural talent and hard work when achieving a goal. Sophomore Nasrin Yuhanis explained, “Being successful based on talents is difficult because there’s no telling if life will throw an obstacle on your way. I’ve heard about artists who put an effort in school, and they’re still famous because they do art, or music as a hobby.”

Personally, I believe a combination of both is necessary. Striving to achieve something that we cannot achieve because we simply lack the necessary skills is not a feasible goal that can be accomplished. Similarly, relying solely on natural talent will not take us anywhere, because even the best natural talent must be nurtured to become successful. A balance between talent and effort needs to be achieved to guarantee success in what we do.