Talent is Overrated

Karate used to be a huge part of my life. Sometimes I miss it a lot. It's a beautiful thing, and it takes zero "gear". Cycling is decidedly a gear heavy sport. Karate, Yoga, qi gong, taiji, ki aikido, all are amazing arts to practice, and they require nothing but time.

Karate, the art itself is incredible. But it was these guys (and a couple other guys and gals) who kept me coming back. It was karate that taught me that any super-computer-nerd-engineer with zero coordination, and I mean ZERO, can become incredibly adept athletically. Being relatively coordinated at sports naturally, I've always thought the best were just 'born with it'. Not true. The best work the hardest for it. I watched floppy frogs turn into super badass karate practitioners. This summer this belief was reaffirmed, I read a book called, "Talent is Overrated". It talks about everyone, business people, chess masters, athletes, etc. All the best, Warren Buffet for investing, multiple chess grandmasters, athletes, they all worked with a dogged determination. But it was not just hard work, but a brutal honesty in their assessment of progress along the way, and developing very specific goals to bring about small improvement.

From Left to Right. Teppei, Jacob, Patrick, Andy, Jason, and Tim. Circa 2000.