I just heard a story about a man who was given the honor of being known as the World's Greatest Cellist... When asked why he still continued to get up early every morning & practice the cello for 5hrs...he smiled & said "I think I'm getting better!"

Do you think you live up to your potential?

I obviously don't. My freakin' brother has a genius IQ and he lives and acts nowhere near his potential. I don't think any one of us actually fulfills his/her potential, at least not in every aspect.

WAT SHOULD I BUY MY BRO FOR IS B-DAY NEED SOME ADVICE

Dude, make your own thread!

And stop shouting.

Nope. Im a slacker through and through. I was one of those kids that routinely on my report card in elementary school, the teacher would write "intelligent, yet does not apply herself." Nothing has changed.

English? Even Spanish? I'll take French, even!!! Je ne sais quo pas!!!

Back in the 60's, I think, they did this study where they tested a bunch of high school kids and tracked the genius IQs and average IQs.

In the majority of the cases, the genius kids didn't really go anywhere or make anything of themselves. The average kids had much higher success rates in life and claimed to be happier.

They did a similar study with kids with talent. The more inate talent a child had the less they practiced it and in the long run, the kids who were good but not great did better.

The final analysis was that people who find things easy don't work as much on them and therefore don't reach the heights they might otherwise have achieved. While people who like something but don't have as much talent or the higher IQ level will usually work hard at it and achieve much more.


The reason I gave up on the piano is that no amount of innate talent was going to over come the fact that I have tiny hands and simply don't have the reach. And the fact that I hated to practice when taking lessons and could play for hours on end when I wasn't taking lessons. Lessons made it work, not fun....

I know I havn't reached my potential yet. I only have 3 cats, I only talk to myself in private & I still eat people food.

I'll help you Dubz... Ha ha ha

"The reason I gave up on the piano is that no amount of innate talent was going to over come the fact that I have tiny hands and simply don't have the reach. And the fact that I hated to practice when taking lessons and could play for hours on end when I wasn't taking lessons. Lessons made it work, not fun.... "

This is exactly what happened with my daughter and the violin. Once it became a mandate to perform and the pressure was on to "win" and "be the best", she lost her enjoyment and the peace and tranquility she got from playing. I wish she continued on for her own enjoyment, but at the time I did not have money to nurture her interest and her only venue was through her high school.

I don't live up to my potential per say... things come easy.. I am far from genius IQ. But the reason that I don't work hard or work to potential is because I am practicing to be president someday!

Not yet. But I'm practicing every day.

Makes a whole lotta sense. What has the academia and the arts done to change this since then, I wonder.

duplicate post

<<<<work in progress


want to be the best man I can and leave a great example for my daughters

You are a caring friend.

haha nice.....
I'm the same way...minus the presidential aspirations...I work with what I got and dont push myself much further... I'm good at alot of things I do..but no prodigy....

I watch a lot of documentaries.

I didn't live up to my potential.. to many others wanted that spot so I let them have it.. wasn't worth the fight.. but now I am at peace with myself and no struggles or anxiety/stress.. but I also know its lurking in the shadows waiting everyday to be used and sometimes I let it out..