A thought by John C. Maxwell in his book, Talent Is Never Enough (pp 2-3). HarperCollins Leadership.  Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)

John continues, "A wonderful, simple illustration of the importance of talent can be seen in a sports event like the high jump. Winning the high jump requires one person who can jump seven feet, not seven people who can jump one foot. Such an example may seem obvious, yet don’t we often believe that we can accomplish more by throwing more people at a task? That isn’t always the right solution. In fact, there are many tasks that call for talent more than numbers. Like high jumping, they require the extraordinary talent of one person, not the mediocre talent of many."

But later he notes, "We should separate what they can do from who they are.

"Fred Smith, author and former president of Fred Smith Associates, shared a bit of wisdom with me many years ago. He said, 'The giftedness is usually greater than the person.' By that he meant that the Talent of some people is greater than other important personal attributes, such as character and commitment. As a result, they often fail to rise to the level of their talent. Talented people are always tempted to coast on their abilities. Or they want others to recognize their skills but overlook their deficiencies."

He goes on, "Haven’t you known people who should have risen to the top but didn’t? They had all the talent they should ever need, but they still didn’t succeed. Philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson must have known people like that, too, because he said, 'Talent for talent’s sake is a bauble and a show. Talent working with joy in the cause of universal truth lifts the possessor to a new power as a benefactor.'

"So is talent ever enough? Yes, but only in the very beginning. Novelist Charles Wilson says, 'No matter the size of the bottle, the cream always rises to the top.' Talent stands out. It gets you noticed. In the beginning, talent separates you from the rest of the pack. It gives you a head start on others. For that reason, natural talent is one of life’s greatest gifts. But the advantage it gives lasts only a short time. Songwriter Irving Berlin understood this truth when he said, 'The toughest thing about success is that you’ve got to keep on being a success. Talent is only a starting point in business. You’ve got to keep working that talent.' "

John then says, "Too many talented people who start with an advantage over others lose that advantage because they rest on their talent instead of raising it. They assume that talent alone will keep them out front. They don’t realize the truth: if they merely wing it, others will soon fly past them. Talent is more common than they think. Mega-best-selling author Stephen King asserts that 'talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.' Clearly, more than just talent is needed for anyone who wants to achieve success."

And that is so true. Yes, yes! #continuethought