Hard Work vs. Talent

This is something that I have thought about a lot because I used to be a competitive pianist. I had really amazing natural playing ability, as in, from the time I was a toddler, I was always sitting at the piano and messing around on the keys. When I started, I lived by the motto, “Perfect practice makes perfect.” I put in a lot of hard work and effort, but I stopped practicing every day, and looking for new pieces to conquer, I lost my abilities. I think that the effort anyone puts into something can definitely make them better. My mom is an expert seamstress (I can say that because it’s true). She wasn’t good when she first started, and a seam ripper was her best friend. She always said, “If you want to be great at sewing, you must first be great at unpicking.” If you aren’t willing to go outside of yourself, stretch, and then correct errors; you will never learn anything. In regards to education, it’s important to know my strengths and weaknesses when it comes to studying and the classes I am taking, but it is more important that I know what tools I have for improvement. I believe that even if natural talent exists, it is nothing without hard work. I think in addition to time and effort, becoming an expert also needs a great vision. If one aspires to mediocrity, than that is what they will achieve.