The genius in all of us

"One common characteristic in all successful adults is that, at some point in their lives, they come to realize how much the process of improvement is within their own control," writes David Shenk in the book The Genius in All of Us.

The main point Shenk argues is that our genetic make-up - our "natural ability"- does not determine our capability to do different things. The current scientific research instead indicates that the environment of our lives - our circumstances, our education, our diets, et cetera - play a significant role in how close we come to meeting our natural potential. Genetically-speaking, we are all capable of much more than we will actually accomplish, whether we are talking about learning math, playing a musical instrument, or running a mile.

This scientific thesis flys in the face of much conventional wisdom. Conventional wisdom has it that some of us are naturally gifted to be excellent students or professional athletes. The rest of us can never achieve the outcomes of those "just born with great talent." The rest of us can only be average. However, the genes times environment thesis (GxE) explained in Shenk's book argues that superior achievements are a result of relentless personal improvement (environment) within a person's area of natural strength (genes). Moreover, each of us are capable of far more than we perceive.

Our environment signficantly shapes the expression of our genes from conception through death: your mother's nutrition during pregnancy, the culture of your home life, the qualify of your education, the opportunity in your society, the amount you exercise, the purity of the water you drink, the presence of role models, your work ethic, and so on. Some aspects of environment are beyond your control, or impacted you in the past. But many aspects of your environment are within your control right now.

Shenk argues that greatness did not come easy or naturally for Michael Jordan, Wolfgang Armadeus Mozart, or Albert Einstein, to name a few. While these individuals focused on their areas of natural strength, they only achieved greatness through an unrelenting drive to improve through hours and hours and hours of hard work. Shenk notes that psychologists call this deliberate practice.

According to psychologist Anders Ericcson, deliberate practice "does not involve a mere execution or repetition of already attained skills but repeated attempts to reach beyond one's current level which is associated with frequent failure."

Do not limit yourself by saying that you cannot do math, that you are not intelligent enough for college, that others learn so easily but you do not. Your mind and your body possess far more potential than you will ever need, but it must be unlocked through hard work, a willingness to try new things (and fail), and long hours of dedication.

Your success is largely determined by the choices you make, not by the genes you are born with.