I hear this a lot from people who haven’t yet found a sense of purpose in life.

The problem is, we’ve created this myth that certain people are born with certain talents. So-and-so is a born leader. So-and-so is a natural musician. So-and-so has an innate ability to win over a crowd.

This myth does 2 things:

First, it limits us from becoming those “types” of people—great leaders, musicians, or communicators. We think that since we weren’t born playing the piano, then we will simply never get there.

Second, it actually discredits the amount of work those “types” of people did to achieve their goals.

It locks us into a fixed mindset versus a growth mindset. These aren’t terms I coined. In fact, they’ve been in circulation for many years around conversations on mindset. 

It’s important that we return to this every time we encounter a limiting belief like the one you’ve shared. Yes, some people may have natural inclinations toward certain tasks or skills, but that alone doesn’t lead to greatness—intention and consistency do.

Let’s use Cristiano Ronaldo, for example. He’s widely regarded as one of the greatest soccer players of all time. Was he born with athletic ability? To a certain degree, sure. But saying he was just born that way ignores the extreme discipline he cultivated to achieve his level of skill. Ronaldo’s teammates have spoken about how he always arrives early to training and always leaves late. He has a drive to be better that goes far beyond whatever natural talent he was born with.

Don’t sell yourself short. You don’t have to be born with talent to develop it. Growth is always within reach. I’ve outlined a few simple steps you can start today to build your skills with intention. Or, begin by developing an artistic skill. After all, creativity is the foundation of all new learning.

flowkey gives you all you need to play the songs you love on piano – whatever your level. Start learning from scratch with step-by-step courses, or dive right into the sheet music library and choose from thousands of pieces across all genres, including Classical, Film & TV, Pop, and Jazz. You can follow along with a professional pianist, practice each hand separately, and play sections on repeat until you’ve mastered them – flowkey listens to your playing and waits for you to find the right notes. Wherever you’re starting from and whatever your learning style, you can make real progress on the piano – and you only need 10 minutes a day.

I want you to set aside some time today and think about the things you always wanted to do, to achieve, to be, that you thought you never could because of how you were born.

Like…
I always wanted to run a marathon, but I’m too tall to be a competitive runner.
I wish I could start a company, but I wasn’t born a leader.

Now I challenge you to take one step to develop that skill, or set of skills, anyway. And see what happens.

Got a different take? Send Jay an email! He’d love to hear it.

Learn to play the songs you love on piano – whatever your level. flowkey gives you all you need to learn at your own pace and make real progress: step-by-step lessons, interactive learning tools, instant feedback on your playing, and thousands of songs covering all genres. Start learning today with an exclusive 30% discount.