Me? A Natural?

All throughout my life I seem to have encountered “naturals” at one thing or another that I have tried to do.  There has always been that one person in my class who just seemed to understand every topic that was brought up right away, without needing it explained.  Then there always was that one person who just picked up a basketball and completely excelled on the court.  I never had such luck.  I have always had to study to do well in my classes and practice extra hard to make it in the sports world.  At times, this really used to frustrate me.  Why should that person be able to be an “expert” without having to put forth much, if any, effort?  How is it fair that he or she gets a pass through life without having to work for it?

However, looking back, I have noticed that those who were viewed as “naturals” were also the ones who had the most pressure on them.  They were expected to always do well because they were the “naturals”.  People seemed to think if you were a “natural” at something then you should always flourish.  They were always expected to make the A’s on tests and make every shot in their basketball games.  They were not supposed to fail and most “naturals” let this popular view affect their views of themselves as well.  If they did happen to get a bad grade on a test or miss a needed basket, they would become more frustrated or upset with themselves and really struggle with accepting that they did mess up and that it is okay.  They would begin doubting their selves and would have trouble moving forward.  They would view themselves as a failure and would most likely give up rather than try to do better on the next test or play harder in the next game.  They were stuck in what Dweck would call the fixed mind set.

As I have gotten older, I have realized that I am glad to not have been a “natural”.  By having to work to achieve what I want, I appreciate it a lot more.  Having to work toward my goals has taught me patience and perseverance.  I have learned that by working to do better at something, you can always improve.  The saying “You only get out of life what you put in,” is definitely true.  The more effort and practice you put into doing something, the better you will become at it.  The more you study the better you will do on your tests.  The more you practice your shot, the greater chance you have of making a basket.  However, you also have to realize, you will mess up from time to time and you have to use those incidents as opportunities to improve.  You have to realize in those cases that you can always practice more and no matter how good you may be, you can always do better.  So actually I consider myself pretty lucky to not be a “natural” at something.