"Talent is overrated" is about how YOU can become a superstar in your chosen field. To be more precise it is about how others have made it!
Filled with interesting facts, this is the map for those who already visualize a high standard goal. Based on scientific research, you can rest assure that you will find the whole truth about what it really takes to achieve greatness. The basic premise is that those who started earlier in life have a greater chance of becoming the next superstars in their fields. The right kind of practice, not talent, is what sets super-achievers apart from the rest.
You will find examples of people who were able to go beyond average performance. Of course the strongest point the research suggests is that you need not have special talents. Isn't that great! Isn't that a great relief! No matter who you are, no matter if you have no talent at all, still you can become great!
The most fascinating example in this book is that of the Polgar's sisters. Polgar was an European scientist that decided to conduct an experiment on his children. He wrote a book about how anyone can become a genius and he decided to prove his theory with his daughters -hence the Polgar's sisters. After many years of very specific training the sisters went on to become the first women to hold chess grand master titles in the history of humanity!
So, with this book you can become a great achiever! The keys to stardom in any field are right here! The secrets are right here! Or are they not? Let's move on to...
Be aware that the book will be of special interests to those who are already on the path to greatness. The research suggests that unless you started very early in life practicing what you want to become great for, then you are pretty much in a huge disadvantage since you would have to practice a great more deal than most professionals practice. Only to catch up!
But professionals have been doing the activity for so long that they are trained to practice a great deal. An amateur is very unlikely to sustain that level of practice with out reaching exhaustion very quickly.
If your interest is to become better at what you do there are other books you could use that are more targeted to the average person. Two examples would be "One small step can Change Your life - the Kaizen way" or "Mastery". Both books can help just about anyone without the extreme demands of super-achievers. By the way, in my opinion both books have a more positive approach to self improvement than what I read in this book.
I really don't want to become great, I just want to enjoy the process and constantly improve my performance. It might not show but there is a slight difference between wanting to become great just for the sake of it, and wanting to improve because you actually love your activity.
Why be obsessed on becoming great? Why not just do what you like and devote your time and effort to it because you love it.
The point I'm trying to make here is that this book might not be beneficial to people with low self-esteem.
Life has much more to offer than just becoming "great". You don't need that kind of success to be valuable. Only passion should drive your art.
To sum up:
This book might be good for you if you are already in love with what you do and you do it to the exhaustion and you want to learn how to train better, and if you have very specific goals and if you are relatively young and if you are willing to sacrifice or devote most of your time and energy to achieving that goal.
This book is not for you if you don't care about becoming "great". If you understand the differences between being successful and be greatly acknowledged in one field.
Successful people are "complete" people. They have balance in their life, they have good relationships, healthy eating habits, exercise, they enjoy an evening in nature or in art and they enjoy their profession, their practice. They are not completely obsesed with one goal, and certainly not with greatness.
In a certain way it makes sense, people that devote their entire life to become "famous" or "great" or "champions" or "superachievers" very often don't build healthy relationship, don't devote time to their spirit. In reality, they are not successful, because they are not really happy and because they don't have real balance in their life.
Now, that doesn't mean super-achievers are not complete. I think many superstars are actually very complete persons. They have plentiful lives. But they didn't strive for greatness. They became great because of their love for their activity, their respect for their activity and their self respect.
Just enjoy your profession or sport or art! Practice, practice, practice! But for the love of it! Practice not because of what you can get from your practice, but to try to give your best to your practice! Life is too short! Live plentifully! If you are to become great, good, if not, good as well!
That's an area the author could have developed a great more deal. He could have written about the social and psychological consequences of working to become a super-achiever.
If you have more important things to do or if you don't have much time to devote to an activity or if you are not relatively young then you might not benefit from this book.
My advice is that you go first to Kaizen and Mastery. If after that you still feel the need to take your performance to a greater level then get this book or search for the original research articles online.
Another great book is "Way of the peaceful warrior" and its movie "Peaceful warrior" It is just about how to take out all that "success" trash that limits us instead of helping us improve. If you are interested in this subjects, I think you might very well enjoy the movie. It is based on a true story.
One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way
Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment
Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives
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Top reviews from other countries
Rubén C
Now you know: it's up to you to be great.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 12, 2012S. Gale
Fantastic reading - highly recommended
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 7, 2009
Dr. Chrilly Donninger
Ein ruhiger Hintern ist wichtiger als ein genialer Geist
Reviewed in Germany on October 28, 2014
