What is the difference betweem talent and desire?
I have posed this question to top level executives as well as some of the top coaches in the area and they answers vary from person to person.
Some will say that you can't teach talent; others will say there is no replacing desire. Truth be told, I believe they are all right.
You see, you can have the most talented player or executive in the world, but with no desire for their team to win or to make the people around them better it is a waste of time, money and energy. On the other hand, you can have all the desire you want, but with little or no talent for the sport or company, again it will be a wasted effort.
The greatest accomplishments in the world have been done when desire drives talent. When desire forges with a particular talent, magical things happen. In the sporting world we have people like Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Muhammad Ali and in the business world we have Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Henry Ford and Tony Robbins. These men took their greatest desires and applied them with their greatest talents, and each one in their own way changed their particular industry forever.
By definition the words are worlds apart:
* Talent - a person who possesses unusual innate ability in some field or activity.
* Desire - feel or have a desire for; want strongly.
The learning portion of this article is simply this: What we define to be true and what is true are not one in the same.
Desire cannot live without some kind of talent to escort it. Talent could not eat without desire to feed it. They are two entities that are on a collision course just waiting for us to slam them together. Whether you are 16, 36, 66 or older, find your talent and-- before you know it -- desire will be knocking at your door. When that happens, hold on for the ride of your life.
Remember be positive, be real, and live your life In The Zone.
Dave Muraco is a certified life coach, motivator and radio talk show host who lives in Oneida. In 2004 he founded "In the Zone", a business dedicated to helping people reach their goals. His column runs every Wednesday in the Utica Daily News. To contact David, email him at davemuraco@in-the-zone.biz or visit his website at http://In-the-zone.biz