Talent: Bob Ross vs. Arnold Schwarzenegger

Bob Ross vs. Arnold Schwarzenegger - who is right about talent? They both have different perspectives, but here's why I agree with the Terminator over #HappyLittleAccidents...

I recently watched two documentaries on Netflix, one on the rise and fame of Bob Ross, the incredible artist who enchanted us on PBS with his 30-minute paintings of beautiful scenes of nature, and another on the former Mr. Universe-turned-actor-turned-state governor. They both spoke about using talent to bring you joy in your life, but they had different perspectives.

Ross regularly talked about how people would tell him that they didn't have a talent to paint so they couldn't do what he did. He encouraged them, saying EVERYBODY could paint just like him, if they put in the work and tried hard enough. As a CliftonStrengths coach, this struck me.

Schwarzenegger, on the other hand, said that he recognized an "incredible talent to see things clearly" in front of him. He said, "I thought that if I can see it, it must be achievable," and "where your talent lies--that's what you're good at and need to focus on."

Who was right about talent? The mesmerizing artist or the bodybuilder? Could anybody do anything? Or was it important to focus on your innate abilities?

To me? The Terminator. And here's why: Ross was working with a lot of people who were already interested in art, many of whom probably had untapped potential and talent in art. It was always there, but might have been unknown to many of them. Once they developed it, many became great painters on their own. They turned their talents into strengths. Some people, no matter how hard they try, will never be a good artist.

As Schwarzenegger indicated and suggested, he had a natural talent for weightlifting and the ability to visualize what he wanted to accomplish with it, so that's what he focused on, and he succeeded because of it. Most of us can try to lift weights as much as he did, but we'll never have the same outcome because we don't have a natural talent for weightlifting or perhaps his vision for what he wanted to accomplish with it.

Yes, go and try anything! Try painting...or bodybuilding. But when thinking about long-term success in life, it's important to have a natural talent in whatever it is that you do.

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