genius and natural talent are only born out of hard work

this is a quote that my brother Daniel, an amazing artist, had in his room for as long as i can remember:


"Self-discipline w/out talent can often achieve astounding results, whereas, talent w/out self-discipline inevitability dooms itself to failure."


there is a certain kind of hard truth to this.

and beyond that thought, i remember my dad talking to me once, or rather condemning my foolhardy thoughts of an easy life by "discovering my natural talents and gifts" by saying that we have so over- and mis-used the phrases of natural talent, and genius, and God-given gifts.

Mozart worked hard.
Van Gogh worked hard.
Henry David Thoreau worked hard.

Michael Jordan worked hard.

we, and by we i mostly mean Americans, have become so enamored with the end result that we have forgotten the hard work that must come first.
that has ALWAYS come first when it comes to great accomplishments.
that failures 110 times out of 100 precede success.

i've posted previously two of the three "lebron - what should i do" ads ... the original and the South Park parody, and then was so sick of the whole thing and Cleveland's dealing with it, i neglected to post the city's ad (to view it, click here).

but, finally, someone that deserves being listened to on the matter (most importantly by LeBron, but we can all use the advice found within) said something worth listening to.
Michael Jordan.
the man that LeBron, until moving to the Miami Heat, of whom he bore the number.
and i think the only good thing about LeBron leaving Cleveland was, in fact, changing his number.
to be, indeed, his number.

we, in this "favored land" of America, need to get back to understanding that it is hard work that got us where we are. not the epidemic of entitlement.
here's the video, please to enjoy: