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Dear Reader

Have you ever wondered why some folks seem to have the most lucrative luck, while others simply don't?

I know I have on more than one occasion!

In fact, to be honest, I have often found myself having a discord with the voice within on the notions of finding success via being naturally talented versus being a hard worker.

I have frequently found myself asking questions about it through all hours of the night.

Is there such a thing as an overnight success? A naturally talented superhuman who one day decided to give it a go and found success instantly?

Or is it a series of relentless effort of pouring astounding amount of work into a pot and stirring it endlessly for hours on end?

Are there only two kinds of people in this world? The ones born with an undeniable talent to succeed and ones who just aren’t lucky enough?

Am I talented? Or am I doomed to never finding my light because it may not exist after all?

A Discord Without An Apparent Resolution

There have been a lot of opinions expressed on the topic.

Some feel pretty strongly about the fact that talent isn’t birthed, it is made. Then, there are some who believe that there are a lucky few souls who are indeed born with it.

Which one is it?

With all the hours spent on such thoughts, investigating, dissecting, discussing- what have you- I’ve realized it isn’t so black and white.

Then again, what is?

Those who claim that hard work is the only way to go, might be missing a key factor: it doesn’t always need to be hard. While others who believe that only few of us possess the magic may be mistaking discovery with luck.

What do I mean exactly? Allow me to explain…

A World Full of Untapped Potential

I have come to believe that all of us posses talent. That work doesn’t need to be hard and the struggle needn’t be the only means to success, whatever that word means to you.

The only reason why we seem to be divided in two categories is simply this…

A huge majority of us never put in the time nor the effort in finding our magic.

Bam! It’s just that.

So why is it that we continue to ricochet between the two notions instead of adapting the belief that it can be both for everyone?

Here’s a theory of mine…

The overnight successes we keep witnessing on the Internet and beyond, prove to us how easy it can truly be. They just show up with this immaculate energy, mesmerizing, enchanting, magnetic. We feel enamoured by their presence, inspired even. They make it look so effortless, so natural.

Feeling incredibly motivated, we try to mimic their journey only to end up failing utterly. Because, guess what? It wasn't ours to begin with.

This apparent failure leads us to feel bitter about ourselves and the world and we end up forming the belief that talent is given to a few lucky ones. The rest of us must grind day in, day out to feel a semblance of worthiness. That’s it. No other way about it.

We tell ourselves this over and over to cope and end up mindlessly forming a misbelief that in order to be successful we must work hard at all costs.

The Hustle that Never Truly Satisfies

Furthermore, we stretch this misbelief by convincing ourselves that the so-called lucky ones aren’t actually born with any talent at all, in fact, they’re the same grinders like the rest of us who worked super hard before they gained their apparent “overnight success.”

While it could be true in a lot of cases, it still doesn’t prove that talent is made, not birthed.

Add into the mix the toxic hustle-culture bred via capitalism and we get ourselves a generation that believes solely in the hustle. That if we didn’t almost kill ourselves, we don’t deserve to enjoy the fruits of our labour.

I’d even further argue that many of us suffer from chronic dissatisfaction from work that comes easy to us. It almost feels boring in a lot of ways. I know I have suffered from such a case.

When it comes to photography & writing, nothing seems easier. The millisecond snap of the clicker, the tap tap tap of the keys on a digital page, ideas flow through me as if I were merely breathing.

Therefore, upon having someone come up to me bursting with delight about how great my work is, my first response is to shy away from the compliment. A little voice inside me saying, “What? Do I even deserve credit for something that felt so effortless to achieve? Am I an imposter if I believe I am great at what I do so effortlessly?”

Most often than not, I give in. I feel bored & dissatisfied from the craft and push myself to pick up a path more challenging, which ended up being design.

I do want to say, I love the craft with all my might and have built my entire career on it. However, if I compare it to writing and photography, it does not come as easily. In fact, it is rather frustratingly challenging, which is what makes me feel it worthy of pursuit instead of the other two.

The Challenge of Needing to Be Challenged

While challenge is a great source of creativity, pushing us out of our comfort zones and introducing us to parts of ourselves we hadn’t acquainted with before, it is great only if done right.

If we seek challenges just for the sake of punishing ourselves with discomfort to prove to others (and ourselves) that we can take it, that we aren’t privileged to be born with it, that we can be part of the tribe- whatever that is- then we end up staying on a path that leads to nowhere fulfilling.

Whereas, if we allow ourselves to be okay with easy, to do what comes effortlessly, we might be on to something big. And I genuinely feel that is what differentiates the overnight successes from the rest.

We’re All Born with It

Despite the fact that it may seem the overnight successes come from the one thing the talented tried once or twice, the path that led them there may be a lot more complex than that.

Perhaps, it was filled with a bunch of trials and errors, of several discoveries of the Self, explorations of the worlds within and beyond.

Perhaps, the only thing they got lucky about was having the curiosity to keep looking for their Self without tiring.

Perhaps, they simply didn’t stop till they found their zone of magic.

In other words, we’re all born with the magic. It is up to us to set the intention and make the time to unearth it.

Also, it is worth mentioning that talent does indeed require work still. Just not the kind of work that comes with a ton of friction and dread, i.e. hard work.

For instance, while photography seems easy as 1, 2, 3, I have spent countless hours training my eye, developing my aesthetic by experimenting with colour grading on various apps and software, learning from other great photographers and putting in the effort that is shooting regularly to keep those creative juices flowing.

However, at no point did any of the above feel hard.

The Magic is in the Discovery

When all is said and done, the reality is pretty simple: we’re meant to operate from our zone of magic (or some like to say, genius).

However, the path that takes us there is less than straightforward and a whole lot bumpy so we opt out of it. This causes us to lead unfulfilling lives, living as spectators to witness the enchantment of those who’ve found it, rather than enjoying our own and forming the belief that it never was in the cards for us to dazzle the world with our magic- all because we believe we don’t have any.

I truly believe that the only thing that makes this world lacklustre and mundane is the collective being unaware of its own magic. If we strived to keep on the path that leads us to our zone of magic, no matter the bumps, the obstacles, the trolls, we will find ourselves in the midst of pure joy and contentment.

And if we don’t?

Well, we needn’t look further.

We can see it in the greys and glooms of our society with a huge majority of us clocking in and clocking out at work with an air of dread. We spend time in activities that distract us from our sadness and convince ourselves that’s happiness. We partake in hobbies that might make us feel worthy to be part of the broken society but hardly makes us feel content, fulfilled.

So to summarize this long winded thought provocation of sorts, in order to operate from our zone of magic we needn’t wonder if we need to be born in it, we simply need to commit to finding it.

And I hope to Cosmos that we do.