Which is More Important – Talent or Hard Work?

Kiara Jones, Staff Writer

Dedication, determination and motivation are the best ways to succeed. Focusing on how to get to where you want to be and dedicating yourself to that pursuit is more important than just using your talent as an escape from working hard.

NBA superstar Kevin Durant captured the essence of this idea when he said, “Hard work beats talent, when talent fails to work hard.”

My generation believes that they should get everything right on their first try at any activity. Getting an education is so important now and kids just don’t have the motivation, determination or dedication to want to excel and, in some cases, even graduate.

This is why hard work is so important. Hard work is what helps you be successful in high school classes, helps you develop as a person, hard work pays off, you may not realize it now but you will thank your past self for making the decisions you made in the future.

Young people must realize that having a high school – and eventually a higher education – diploma is the most important, when it comes to getting a job. you have to have some experience and already done similar work to where you want to work.

The need for a diploma and experience have been very clear to me lately as I have been applying for jobs. This has been a struggle as most of them say i need to have experience, a high school diploma or GED and be 18 years old. All of this rejection has left me wishing i never quit my job at Pump it up. Without a high school diploma, you put your happiness in the future in jeopardy because you won’t have the same opportunities as others who are more educated and prepared as you.

Natural talent doesn’t have the same amount of beauty as hard work does. The king of pop, Michael Jackson said it best, “You got me workin’ day and night”. That is one of his songs, that i love and i think that by listening to songs that motivate me forces me to want better for myself, my future and everything. The music i listen to, the news i hear on TV, the dreams i have about my future encourage me to want better for myself and to give back to my family. My lifestyle is not how you would expect your average teenasger to live but, i have been making the best of it.  

Hard work means more than talent because working for something that you want shows how much you really want it and it also shows your willingness to put in the time, exhibits just how dedicated you are, and just how patient you can be.  

I am a very independent young lady, so i like to think about how i plan to graduate in May.  I feel like i’m pretty much done, but I have to remind myself that i still have more work to do and i need to be on my “A” game. I have big dreams and i plan to get there on my own – though I will, of course, have  a little help from my parents. Having talent is amazing but those who have  natural  talent need to make sure that they don’t just rely on it. They have to  build up their career and work hard. They cannot  just use their talent as the way to succeed.  I could use stepping or as my natural talent but, there are no jobs for that or a step team that pays each stepper when they step at a show or competition, so my natural talent doesn’t help much – except I learned that my talent plus hard work means i could one day own my own building to teach step or have a step team.

I took photography For the first time last year and i did way better than i could ever expect. I did a good job because i was dedicated, motivated and determined to do better and explain more thoroughly than just a teen photographer. My dad says, “You have a natural talent for taking pictures,” so I am going to use that plus my hard work to be dedicated and committed to being a freelance or fashion photographer, wherever God takes me i will work hard!