Simple question:  Which is most important to success, talent or hard work?

There is a classic debate about muscle and perspiration vs. brilliance and natural intelligence.  Natural ability is certainly a tremendous help, at least it is an advantage.  Yet I’ve seen quite a few examples of really gifted people who didn’t have the right opportunities, or they didn’t apply themselves, or they squandered what they had through bad choices.

Hard work to me seems indispensable.  You cannot do without it, unless you are riding a mighty wave that is carrying you along.  The problem is what do you do when the wave plays out before you’ve reached your desired destination?  Without hard work, your wave riding is done!  So, success really is a lot about hard work and not quitting until you reach your goal. 

It’s really a false choice to try and decide which is more important.  If you have little talent, you’re going to need a lot of hard work and heart.  If you have a lot of talent, you’re going to need at least a little hard work in order to get a shot at success.  The more hard work you put in, the better rewards you’ll reap.

Let’s avoid the false choice.  The real key to success is an appropriate mix of talent AND hard work.