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Talent can only get you so far.

by | Jul 9, 2025 | Journal

I stumbled across a video on YouTube about a guy who spent over 2,000 hours in the last 2.5 years teaching himself how to play the piano. The title caught my attention, so I clicked on it.

It opened with a short clip from his first month. His hands were stiff, his technique still undeveloped, but even then, he could make it through a phrase without mistakes. I was glued to the screen as each month’s progress flashed by. Slowly, his playing improved. He added dynamics, learned to feel the music, but the stiffness remained.

Still, he kept going.

He did everything he could to stay motivated. He discovered it was easier to progress when he played pieces he actually liked, such as Chopin, Beethoven, and other composers that stirred something in him. Enjoying what he was learning made all the difference. He even set a goal to learn as many pieces as possible.

Around the 9 to 12-month mark, he started composing his own music, borrowing techniques and styles from what he had been studying. My jaw dropped. A beginner, less than a year in, is already creating original music, something many only attempt after 5 to 7 years.

It reminded me that we are capable of far more than we think when we stay consistent. Talent may give you a head start, but it’s hard work, perseverance, and love for the craft that truly carry you forward.

Talent may give you a head start, but it’s hard work, perseverance, and love for the craft that truly carry you forward.

This is encouraging, even for the “ordinary” among us. Because it means greatness isn’t reserved for those who seem naturally gifted. The deciding factor is not where you started, it’s what you do with what you’ve been given.

So, what are the gifts you’ve been entrusted with, the ones you’ve quietly set aside?

Maybe you think it’s too late. Maybe you feel rusty, or undeserving, or that someone else would do it better.

But let me tell you this—as long as you’re still here, as long as you have strength, you’re still qualified.

Get back to writing.

Pick up the paint brush again.

Dust off your clarinet.

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today.

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Philippians 4:13 (KJV)

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