Hidden Potential

I recently finished reading Adam Grant’s book, Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things. It is a thought-provoking book that challenges how we think about success. We often glorify natural ability and worship those with “God-given” talent. When we watch Michael Phelps slice through the water or Magnus Carlsen effortlessly crush world-class opponents, we don’t just admire them, we also feel smaller: "Wow! They are up there; I'm down here. No matter how hard I work, I'll never be like them." A softer version of that feeling pops up in everyday life too, when we stand next to a classmate who's more athletic, more mathematical, more eloquent, or more social than we are. It's a very disheartening feeling and not productive at all! But sometimes, we just can't help it.

Adam Grant's book helped me realize that this whole way of comparing ourselves to “geniuses” misses the real point. Yes, our natural ability does set the starting line and we have no say over the genetic traits we were born with. However, ultimately, how far we actually go in life is determined by factors within our control.

One of the key take-aways from the book is that when it comes to achieving goals, character matters way more than natural talent. We tend to confuse character with personality, but they’re not the same. Grant explains this beautifully: “Personality is your predisposition – your basic instincts for how to think, feel, and act. Character is your capacity to prioritize your values over your instincts… personality is how you respond on a typical day, and character is how you show up on a hard day.” In other words, our personality is shaped by our DNA but our character is about who we choose to be. Grant emphasizes the importance of one character, "grit" – the perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Regardless of our natural ability, the journey to achieving meaningful goals is often filled with challenges and setbacks. Grit enables us to overcome these barriers, bounce back from failures, continue developing our skills, and move closer and closer to our goals. Take Michael Jordan as an example. Jordan wasn’t always considered the most talented player. In fact, he was cut from his high school varsity basketball team. The head coach assessed the 15-year-old Jordan like this: “…his shooting was merely good and his defense mediocre.” Ouch! Instead of letting that setback define him, Michael Jordan used it as a motivation to work harder and grow. Every missed shot, every loss, became a lesson rather than a reason to give up. Many years later in an interview, the already successful Michael Jordan talked about his training days after the cut: “Whenever I was working out and got tired and figured I ought to stop, I’d close my eyes and see that list in the locker room without my name on it,” he recalled. “That usually got me going again.” This, my friend, is grit!

Another insight that I gained from reading the book is how the environment around us plays a crucial role in our growth. For example, in Silicon Valley, many entrepreneurs don’t succeed only due to their talents. They thrive because they are surrounded by experienced mentors, supportive networks, and systems that give them resources and opportunities. Likewise, professional athletes often reach their peak performance not just because of their own efforts, but because they benefit from coaching, facilities, and training programs. Now, how do we create this environment for ourselves? One strategy is to seek mentorship. We can find guidance from our school career counsellors, our teachers, community members, or professionals in fields we’re passionate about. Mentors can give us guidance and share insights we don't have. We can also build our own network by reaching out to peers who share our goals and can challenge us to improve. School clubs are a great place to meet like-minded peers and build friendships. Additionally, we can find free resources. The Internet provides a wealth of free learning tools, from platforms like Khan Academy to YouTube tutorials. Make the best use of them to learn.

Still not convinced? Let me share with you what science tells us: research has found that the brain is not fixed like a machine; it’s more like a living, changeable network. Throughout our lives, brain cells can form new connections and strengthen or weaken existing ones based on what we practice and experience. When we learn a new skill and repeat it, the pathways in the brain network related to these skills become deeper and more efficient. This means our brain is flexible like plastic, and our abilities in areas like math, language, music, or sports are not completely set at birth. They can grow!

So, if we're unhappy with where we stand now, instead of sitting here whining, we should focus on putting in our reps (grit!) and connecting with helpful people who can support us (environment!), because that's how we're going to get out of the rut and become better. Like a chess pawn, keep pushing!

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References

Cherry, K. (n.d.). Neuroplasticity: How the brain changes with learning. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-brain-plasticity-2794886

Ericsson, K. A., Krampe, R. T., & Tesch-Römer, C. (1993). The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance. Psychological Review, 100(3), 363–406. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.100.3.363 SCIRP

Grant, A. (2023). Hidden potential: The science of achieving greater things. Viking.

Marzola, P., Melzer, T., Pavesi, E., Gil-Mohapel, J., & Brocardo, P. S. (2023).

Exploring the role of neuroplasticity in development, aging, and neurodegeneration. Brain Sciences, 13(12), 1610. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13121610 MDPI

University of Cambridge. (2014, November 19). Lifelong learning and the plastic brain. https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/features/lifelong-learning-and-the-plastic-brain University of Cambridge