It’s good to be precise in our language. It means we aren’t speaking one thing but meaning something else.
It means we are impeccable with our word.
A lot of times we talk about “talent” like it’s a thing. So-and-so is so talented. They’ve got a god-given talent.
When we talk like this we forget that success is really a talent stack. Success isn’t a number, it’s an addition problem. When someone doesn’t quite make it, it means they were missing a level of the stack. When we don’t quite make it, it means we missed something. Sometimes life is baking and sometimes life is cooking – and we better know the difference when it comes to the talent stack.
John Cena spoke about his to Joe Rogan (# 2423).
Every four months, 200 potential wresters enter the WWE development program. Can you imagine if your industry had that treadmill? Want to be on top? Cool, good luck, we are hiring eleven people every week who want the same thing. Some simply won’t make it. Some will have a talent but that’s not enough.
To make it you need to be an acrobat and a fast talker.
“But that’s not the only attribute that makes one special. You may be a great joke writer. But man, if you don’t master stage presence, I mean, being a great joke writer with stage presence, but if you can’t lug the tour, you’re not talented for it.”
Lug the tour – what an expression.
Cena’s a good interview even for non-wrestling fans. His talent stack came from two choices.
First, always make the harder choice. Don’t do the easy things. It will feel worse first, but it will be better later.
Second, take risks. It’s easier to take risks when you’re small and no one is watching. And if everyone is watching and you take a risk – and fail – that’s fine. It’s a learning moment and a chance to practice the first, doing hard things.
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