Many believe they are unable to succeed in certain areas because they are not ‘talented’ in the subject. But how is talent really defined? Is it an inherent gift that only certain people possess, or is it more of an acquired skill?

Although talent is denoted by the Google Online Dictionary as ‘a natural aptitude or skill,’  there is no set way to define what talent truly is─ definitions vary for each individual and really have no singular or certain meaning. 

“I think that talent is a phenomenon that describes people who have indeed worked very hard towards something,” said sophomore Tommy Wan, a student at The Village School. “Talent has different sections: it has perseverance, motivation, and practice. Adding all those three together would be the definition of talent.”

Both natural talent and hard work can play important roles in being successful and ‘talented.’ According to Sax Noir, although being naturally skilled in a certain subject can be beneficial, those who work harder towards a subject can eventually excel and possibly even become just as talented or more than those who are ‘naturally’ talented at it. 

As seen in the graph above, natural talent only goes so far performance-wise, while those who work hard start off with little success but gradually improve and eventually surpass those who are naturally talented. But what does this mean? Does this imply that people who work hard at something are more talented than those who are naturally skilled?

“I don’t think anyone can be talented,” said Max Manning, a teacher at The Village School. “Although, I do believe that people can learn to do things better and become more talented in a sense.”