America's Got Talent?

Want to know a little pet peeve of mine? When people say, "Wow, you're so talented! I wish I could [insert activity here] like you do!" Granted, I am/was one of those people. But let me explain.

When you say something like that, you're putting yourself down. You're telling yourself that you could never measure up to what another person can do because they're just naturally better than you are. That's not good, because what happens is you give up on trying to get better. You think, "I'll never be as good as they are, so why should I even try?"

I'm not saying that talent isn't real. People do have gifts for different things. Me, for example: I happen to really like words. I like to express myself through words, and I know how to make them work. Some people have a natural affinity for a sport, art, or music. They just know where the pencil lines need to go or how to hit a baseball just right. But when you but everything down to just dumb luck, that's not fair to the person.

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