Is a 2 year old violinist talented or skilled?

I somehow started playing the violin at two and a half years old. People often called me talented. However, when I ask music lovers if they’d like to learn an instrument, they usually respond that they don’t have talent. 

Understandably, people often focus on talent instead of skill. Talent is given. Skill is developed. Unfortunately, this keeps people from leaping to try new things. 

People didn’t know that I woke up at 5 am and practiced for hours every day. They could learn to play the violin if they practiced. It’s a skill.

NBA star Lebron James has talent. He’s fortunate enough to be 6 ft 9 inches, weighs 260 lbs, and can jump out of the gym. Unfortunately, we can’t practice our way to being tall. 

Lebron is also highly skilled. He practiced hours in the gym, watched films, and learned from mentors to develop his skill.

Once we understand the difference between talent and skill, we can start the hard work of developing our skill sets to make a difference. Fortunately, we have more tools than ever before to build our skills.

What skill would you like to start developing today?

Thanks for caring!

With gratitude,

Anwell