Greatness According to Colvin

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Do you believe success is dependent on natural talent? Geoffrey Colvin disagrees in his article "What it takes to be great" where he insists that natural talent is not needed to be successful. To be great a person needs to work hard for years and practice with tremendous effort. Both of these tributes have affected my life in regards to my success in school and my failure at tennis.
Nothing can be achieved without work. Average input results in average output. But hard work leads to excellent achievement. Colvin says "There's no evidence of high-level performance without experience or practice." He means excellence does not come naturally. A person cannot just pick up a baseball bat and expect to make a home run. “The most accomplished people need around ten years of hard work before becoming world-class, a pattern so well established researchers call it the ten-year rule.” This was proven to be true on many accounts, like Bobby Fischer an expert chess player at 16, who had 9 years of practice (Colvin). A person does not become a champion over night. A person needs to work hard to achieve greatness. A person could have absolutely zero skills in painting, but after 10 years of working hard with a lot of practice they would be quite successful in painting.
I am a strong believer in hard work. It is no wonder that Colvin’s principle of hard work parallels the success in many areas of my life. One being my very successful reign in school, and while this may not seem like an exceptional accomplishment compared to sports or music, it is important to me. Over the years I have been successful in all areas of school. I have been able to learn a variety of subjects, process the knowledge, and showcase it through homework or tests. I know t...

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...he first spot in singles tennis. I would have been able to focus my practice. Instead of just hitting tennis balls, I could have hit 100 balls aiming for the back left corner, always improving my swing with the results. Now I realize why I failed to become better. It was not because I was not naturally gifted in tennis. It was because of my ignorance with practice. It was never enough. I didn't put my blood, sweat, and tears into tennis or strive to be the best. That is my true failure.
Outstanding performance is not for everyone, only those that are willing to put in the hard work and practice will get to the top. Deliberate practice leads to champions, which is why I did not thrive on my high school tennis team. Hard work makes triumph easier, and my hard work helped me flourish in high school with over ten years of experience. Boom what a sick ending statement.

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