Organization is a very good one to have, and one that many people lack.

Sustained Effort is pretty much a requirement of success but I'm not sure it's a talent entirely. I do think a lot of that comes from upbringing, past successes, encouragement from others, etc... and unlike some other things I do think you can teach someone to have it as an attribute (much more easily if you get them before they are 30 for sure).

Production is vague and probably includes a few 'components' that are more specific. Meaning, production as the 'ability to get things done' can come from components like concentration, organization, ability to lead others, ability to work longer hours, etc etc...

I'm not doubting you have these attributes, or their importance, I'm wondering if they can be drilled down deeper to their roots? :thumbsup

Nice post,

I'm good hacking websites, and doing pentesting. I'm doing this for 10 years, since I was a child, working for a very big companies here in Spain. Is my real job, porn is only a hoby.

Best regards,

There's always politics or teaching.

Did some more thinking about this topic after logging off last night. One thing that occurred to me is that a talent like that would likely affect how you learn best as well.

For example, I'm an auditory thinker. One of the reasons I write well is that I can 'hear' the text as it would sound in a conversation. I also got through countless hours of academia pretty much without ever writing down any notes in a notebook. If I missed a class I was screwed, because I was able to assimilate information much more easily from a lecture than I ever could from making or reading class notes.

Eventually I made the conscious decision to write very few notes and pay more attention to the lecture during the lecture. Others are the exact opposite. They successfully learned the same information, often skipping class, and relying almost exclusively on written notes. To this day, I really enjoy hearing a good audio book while driving, but I've been told by others that they can't keep the stories straight unless they read it for themselves.

I'm wondering if your ability with images goes hand in hand with being a visual thinker who learns best from graphs, charts, infographics and the like....

Why are you good at hacking websites? What makes you a great pentester? What are the attributes you would look for if you were hiring someone else to hack websites or do pentesting work?

That is so sadly true. :2 cents:

Depends on how you define "better".

I'd sleep better at night with the satisfaction of being an amazing deli worker as opposed to being a "shitty lawyer".

Of course it would be nice to be uber rich - but I'd sooner go to bed knowing I was the best at what I do...as opposed to settling for mediocrity.

I'd bet "Shitty Lawyers" do not become uber rich more frequently than deli workers, and they are much more likely to end up in jail. :2 cents:

why would deli worker become a deli owner? with $25k/year salary? Also, I didn't mention that this amazing deli worker has very little biz skills. He is just really good at what he does, that's it.

Playing out the thought pattern with that as a case study... why is he good as a deli worker? Dependable? great short term memory? Wakes up at the crack of dawn in a good mood? If he figured out why he was good at what he does, he would likely be able to find other tasks that require the same skills and be able to do better than 25K a year.

Again, I agree some attributes have more value than others if you are good at them. For example, being able to dunk a basketball from the foul line or able to run the 40 yard dash in 4.2 will earn you many millions more than a lot of other attributes, and as Deon Sanders says 'You can't teach 4.1 speed, you either wake up with it or you don't.'

That doesn't mean that being bad at 'a high status profession' will necessarily work out better than being very good at and choosing to do something else. It also doesn't mean you will be happier doing it.

Why don't you ask them? Maybe over dinner?

Woke up cranky Dynamo? If you just want to keep trolling a thread on GFY, feel free.
If you'd like to participate in a philosophical discussion you are welcome to start doing so.

HAH, still can't take an opposing view I see. Just seems wierd that 1 minute you know a bunch of shitty lawyers (when it's convenient to do so), the next minute you don't have a clue about said shitty lawyers (again when it's convenient).

I also am getting a kick outta how one minute you get this silly idea dropped in your lap, the next thing you're doing is starting a thread about it dissecting everyone's abilities as if you're all the sudden an expert.

Reading this thread. I've come close to spitting coffee on my monitor a couple times this morning already!

Society creates the number of "successful" people it needs....

(During war time all are mobilised to be useful)

You didn't post anything in opposition to my viewpoint.

I have met and known plenty of them. I don't go to dinner with them or know the current status of their balance sheets... but the ones I have met sure do complain a lot about their chosen profession. Incidentally, it's not a mark of honor to have known many 'shitty lawyers', just about anyone living within an hour of New York City can likely make that same claim.

I don't recall being a sudden expert on any of it... I'm posting my views about it and seeing what other people say about the topic. Most have posted constructively and I have enjoyed the discussion thus far. I'm glad you have enjoyed it as well.

If society creates them... how are they selected?
Why would you think they are only mobilized in times of war?

refresher for you-

My response was to your post #63. You are attempting to troll and for whatever reason you seem to think there is a need for you to be confrontational about this topic. From your past posts in other threads, I believe you are better at actually discussing things than you are at trolling.

Did you have something constructive to add ?

Fucking
Driving
Auto Mechanics
Internet Marketing

in no particular order

I'm not attempting to troll at all, I simply completely disagree with the premise and have clearly stated that. It's unfortunate you think an oppossing view is confrontational, I've posited some very real reasons, examples and research disagreeing with the OP, all of which you've disregarded, choosing instead to make comments about me.

Yes, I have something constructive to add, in fact, I've already added it.

I'll restate it for you:

It's extremely arrogant, misleading and wrong to spread the idea that people can and should figure out what they are naturally good at and proceed to become successfull based on that observation.

That sort of mentality flies in the face of reality. Moreover, it completely discounts learning, training, practice, education, will-power, perserverance, hard work, luck, money, and opportunity, et al.

:1orglaugh:1orglaugh:thumbsup

When what you are GOOD at is posting on Internet forums I can pretty much guarantee you that you're a failure in life. :2 cents:

It certainly didn't hurt Charlie Sheen's career.
Unless you differentiate forum posting from tweeting?

I'm not sure how it's "arrogant" to have that as a viewpoint. Especially when he believes everyone has aptitude, though many do not identify or apply theirs the best way they could have done so.

I'm also not sure it's "misleading" or "wrong", though I can see you disagree with it and believe there are studies that indicate it isn't the primary factor. It does seem arrogant to think he is wrong and being misleading simply because you believe another countervailing view is more correct.

It clearly does not discount learning, training, practice, education, will power, perseverance, hard work, luck, money or opportunity. Having a steady hand, great visualization skills and an innate 'feel for the game' won't make you a great pool player instantly. It won't make you a major league baseball power hitter either. However, it does make your success at those things more likely than someone without those traits who could have found something that allows them to apply a great short term memory to instead.

You point seems more to be about moving forward once you find the right path. His point seems much more about identifying which path is the right one before investing the time and effort to move forward. :2 cents:

I've been good at putting together the right people at the right time. I've had a top notch staff in place since the start. So I would say I am good at recognizing talent and then letting them do their thing.

Now this is a nice and thought out reply to my counter-points.

You pretty much nailed what "talent" is. The ability to see the solutions and outcomes almost instantly when given a task. I'm working on a graphic novel adult project, but my main gig is medical animation. When I get a storyboard, I can see how every shot looks while just skimming over the panels for the first time.

I've always been envious of people who have that same ability in a musical way.

My wife is a teacher and is great in the classroom, but she also does lectures and presentations for teacher development. She has an insane ability to hold the attention of an auditorium full of people with very little preparation. Speaking in front of hundreds of people would give the shits.

Those are two talents I think are rare in the same person. Finding good talent is one skill, being able to let them put their talent to use seems to be another skill entirely for some reason. Lots of people seem to hire the right person but can't delegate, or delegate well but can't get the right people.

Being good at both gets back to the Bill Parcells line about 'if they want me to cook the dinner they should let me pick the groceries' and the debate of whether its better to have a coach/GM or a coach and a GM.

I will respond to your constructive posts with my own any time. :thumbsup

not in my experience in this thread.

I've always envied good political cartoonists. I can come up with the one liners and concepts no problem at all, but I draw like a dead gunslinger. :1orglaugh

I'm a little good at everything, just enough to be annoying.

most people are too busy just trying to survive with little time to realize what their true talents are.

This is huge.

no deeper roots .... just the components of my success ... not sure they can be taught...

that's the difference between creativity and character

i'm not really sure what you mean by that but if you're a single guy with nothing to lose, sure you can take all the risks in the world. if you're not, well then its not so easy.

discover your talents when you're young because otherwise, its too late.

Most people are risk-adverse. That's not a character issue.

+ most people can only achieve what their surroundings allow for. Someone growing up in Los Angeles has much different options than someone growing up in Montana.

Dynamo,

In the interest of full disclosure....

I just got back from a birthday party overrun by 3-5 year-olds. Loud very annoying top 40 music, sticky floors, screaming brats and nobody said anything worth contemplating the entire time I was there. Ironically, I also managed to meet yet another shitty lawyer. One who kept telling me how much money he thought he would make if someone tripped on the sticky floor at the party while I politely tried to ignore him.

I figured you'd enjoy my admission that not everywhere I go is enjoyable. In fact, I view what happened this afternoon as the universe balancing things out for how good my dinner was last night and I thought of your comments while I was there waiting for it to end. :1orglaugh

There is a lot of truth to that. Which was also sort of the point - that it is worth it to do it, and to audit your skill set, traits and attributes from time to time. As the Socrates quote goes - the unexamined life is not worth living. :2 cents:

What you think you are good at is not necessarily what you are actually good at.

A more reasonable assessment might come in response to the question, What do I more often than not accomplish with the least amount of struggle or difficulty?

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.

Helen Keller

It is in the sanctuary and the silence it provides that the bells of creativity can ring clearly. (Mark Hope).

Lawyers are getting younger and younger every year.

If I were charged with a capital offense I'd have hired any one of the 3-5 year-olds in the room before I'd ever have hired that Dbag :2 cents:

Most people seem to think you need to get your courage together before you take a risk. In reality you usually have to take a risk and then you gain increased courage as a result. I do believe you can teach some people to be more willing to take risks, mostly by doing it in increments that desensitize them to the emotions involved.

I'm good at writing and I have great musical skills.

Since the question was asked.....

Jolly

BTW Relentless, I'm really not trolling you. I enjoy posting my view on topics that interest me, especially when my view may not be the one that gets hi-5s. It challenges my perspective and allows me to question my angle and reason for thinking a certain way. It's not to change anybody's view to align with mine.

This topic is of interest to me, as you can verify by my thread on the book "Outliers". Your view gave me an opportunity to put forth mine via discourse, to use your words, and see if there are any holes in it. In supporting my view, I am either open to fostering it or ditching it. It's not a need of mine nor my intent to change other's views.

i can throw a pigskin a quarter mile

440 yards.

Almost 4 1/2 football fields. Wow!

:error

Have you met Mr. Maxwell and his 'Masonic sword'?

100 no good ideas