Where you want to be in 5 years?

[Daniel]

Have you thought about it? I am. I'm 50 years old. And in 5 years I will be 55. A lot can happen in 5 years.

I recently read an article about writing one's goals down. Seems that those who write down them down are more likely to achieve them that those who don't. I did this years ago. And it now seems time to do it again.

I also just finished reading an interesting book with a quip-ish title: Talent is Overrated. The thesis, which is backed up by research, indicates that the hours of deliberate practice one puts into any given activity is what matters. Example: a world class violinist differs from a second-tier violinist because of the hours put into practice that is undertaken with a high degree of awareness. Timing is important too. The earlier one starts, the better.

So- I am thinking about how I want to use my time. The time I have left. Have some ideas. Have had them for a long time. Time to concretize them onto paper and create deliberate practice to achieve them.

So much for talent.


http://money.cnn.com/2008/10/21/maga...tune/index.htm

A number of researchers now argue that talent means nothing like what we think it means, if indeed it means anything at all. A few contend that the very existence of talent is not, as they carefully put it, supported by evidence. In studies of accomplished individuals, researchers have found few signs of precocious achievement before the individuals started intensive training. Similar findings have turned up in studies of musicians, tennis players, artists, swimmers, mathematicians, and others.

Such findings do not prove that talent doesn't exist. But they do suggest an intriguing possibility: that if it does, it may be irrelevant.