Aptitude, Hard Work, Luck And Inheritance: A Fraught Relationship

Is there a formula?

a scientist clad in lab robes tries to find the right mixture of four different vials in a home lab, futuristic minimal digital art — by DALL·E

One of the fastest ways to resign oneself never to explore one’s potential is to accept assumed limitations. I cannot remember how many times I have heard extraordinarily talented folk dismiss their possibilities alluding to a false lack of aptitude. The belief and self-esteem were certainly missing, but it was easier to accept that nature hadn’t blessed them with a more promising genetic predisposition. I have always found this attitude frustrating and distanced myself from it as much as possible.

Inevitably, as we move away from one end, we become closer to another. Indeed, the gurus of self-help and motivation will assure us hard work is the only thing standing between us and success. We will read the programme and hear the testimonials of those who made it, while remaining indifferent to those who lost; it is the way of marketing — and history, for that matter. The reality is no amount of hard work can refine a poor raw material. If I had put in as much work into drawing as I did into music production, I would have become a better illustrator but never a good one. Crucially, the quality of my drawings wouldn’t have been close to half that of my audio productions.

Moreover, we have luck to contend with. Fortune makes for the worst excuses. Blaming…