Patience

In my twenties I once got to play tennis against someone who used to have a junior world ranking. It was about 1,000 but nevertheless they were good. 

To my eternal pride, in the first set I managed to win a couple of games. Largely thanks to being supremely fit at the time. 

At once point it was actually two all. 

Then she just wiped the floor with me.

Being exposed to pure talent like that can be intimidating.

Just like when I sometimes cycle with people who actually race and, when we climb up long steep hills I'm hanging on for dear life, heart hammering against my ribcage, legs full of molten lava.

And the bastards are actually chatting. 

But I know myself, as a pretty good swimmer once, when you stop training, the supremacy disappears pretty quick. Just as ex-cycling pros become ordinary extraordinarily quick.

Because talent only gets you so far.

Talent helps, but mostly you just have to work at something. 

And keep at it.

Especially when you are young. When you need to learn your craft. 

These are the investment years. It's hard. You put more in than you get out. 

It's not easy. It takes patience. 

You have self-doubt whispering in one ear.

Blind optimism in the other.

Some days doubt is up.

Others optimism is in the ascendancy.

More often than not its a score drawer.

That's why you need absolute passion and love in your heart for what you do, or at least where you want to be. 

That's what carries you through when optimism is too knackered.

Talent helps, but in these years, sucking up all the know-how matters more.

Ready to breathe it all out in your later years.

Put another way, natural ability matters, but the real talent is the ability to work and work at something until you are its master.