Hard Work vs. Talent

They say luck is when opportunity meets preparation. And to be prepared, you have to work hard. And in order to work hard, you need to show up. And opportunity is presented to those who show up.

So I guess what I’m trying to say is that, in order to get opportunities, you’d better be showing up!

You’ve heard the phrase - hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. It’s true, and I’m about to tell you why.

This article is about how hard work will beat talent every time. Individuals who want to succeed need to learn to work hard. If they don’t, they will not be there when opportunity presents itself, and they will not achieve what they want. It’s as simple as that.

Here’s an example from my life to get you started:

Story Time 

In 2010, I heard about a casting call for “Million Dollar Listing New York”. Almost everyone I knew told me not to go to it, that it would be a waste of time. But I went anyway. I showed up. As you know, I got cast on the show. But it would not have happened if I wasn’t there.

Fast forward to 2011. An attorney I knew told me to go to a Hanukkah party in New York. He said there would be people there worth meeting. I didn’t want to go, but I showed up, and that’s where I met my wife.

This is the power of showing up.

Life Lessons From Showing Up

In this section, I will share with you some life lessons and some things that you need to accept if you want to be a person who always shows up. It is not easy - and it takes perseverance, motivation, and dedication to your goals. But you will find that the benefits you receive far outweigh these challenges in the end.  

Be Okay with Your Choices

The first thing that you have to accept is that showing up is hard work. The more places you are, the more places you are asked to be. And then you will find that your opportunities grow and grow. So if you want to be a person that always shows up, accept that you will need a strong work ethic and a desire to keep going.

Sometimes I wish that I could be a person who slows down, kicks their feet up, and relaxes. But that is not the person that I am. And I am okay with that because I know where I get most of my opportunities.  

You have to decide how much this is worth to you. You have to accept that being there for everything is hard work and that you have to dedicate the time to get what you want. You might not get to kick your feet up and relax. But if you are like me, you know that it is worth it in the end.

Be On Time

Perhaps the simplest thing you can do, that requires no talent at all, and makes a drastic difference, is to just be on time. Just commit to being there and being on time, simple as that. This ensures that you are not only going to show up, but it shows that you are taking it seriously.

When I think about it, being on time is one of the most important things that I can attribute my success to. I am always there, and people know that I am there to get things done. 

Work Over Talent

 I get it, some people have more talent than others. It’s impossible to ignore this. Sometimes certain people will just have things come easy. But my question is – so what? You aren’t someone else, you are you. So if you want to put yourself in the best position to succeed, then you have to work hard.

 No matter how talented you are, hard work will make you better. You can be as talented as possible, but if you don’t show up for anything, it won’t really matter. If you don’t create opportunities to showcase your talent, then what’s the difference?

Persistence

To use another phrase that you may have heard – a river doesn’t cut through rock because of its power, it cuts through rock because of its persistence. You can apply this to anything you do.

Success isn’t automatic, and you won’t reach your long-term goals by showing up to a few events. What you will have is a new chance at breaking through every day. This persistence is how you will make sure you will get what you want eventually because you are going to keep showing up until you do.  

Go Above and Beyond

When I think of the most successful people I know, they aren’t defined by what they were supposed to do. Their success came from going above and beyond, and from being there every single time. They found their opportunities because they went out and got them. Every day they were there, and every day they would go above and beyond for people.

It Adds Up

You might think that showing up 5 minutes earlier each day isn’t much, or that an extra 10 minutes at the gym won’t make a difference. But when you become the person who does this every single day, then that’s a pretty huge change.

These are habits, they are learned skills that you develop over time. Commit to these small changes every day, and I promise you will see them add up over time.

Hard Work is Your Talent

At the end of the day, once you become that person who people can depend on every time, and the person who people know will go above and beyond for them, then maybe that is your talent after all.

Your work ethic and your effort level become your talent. You become known as that person, because you are always there, in their face, ready to work.

So show up, be on time, offer to help. It’s not hard, literally, anyone can do it, but people don’t do it. So if you become someone who does, then your talent at showing up will turn into opportunities real quick.