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Talent and Hard Work. Used together, one can master or do anything, quickly. Hard work alone will achieve the same results. Talent, however, is a mixed bag.
I come to you today as someone that, if categorized, would fall under 'natural talent.' I write to tell you how bittersweet this gift really is. Or, if you're like me, maybe we can relate to eachother.
I've always been 'good' at video games. Well, most of anything, really, if it captured my interest. Whether it was Counterstrike, Battlefield, Starcraft, anything. I've never picked up a game I like and not soared to the top percentiles within ~2 months. I never truly got to the tip-top of anything, however, because this very talent that helped me become good was hindering me in other ways.
How can this be?
Well, let's make an analogy to starcraft, shall we?
I picked up this game in the beta, having never played an RTS in my life. Within a few days I was already gold, and I didn't even know warpgate technology existed. (LoL) I really enioyed the game, but for the first few months I didn't take it that seriously. I did, however, reach platinum, at the same time as my friend, Steel.
What's peculiar about this situation is that for every game I would play, Steel would play 3. or 4. Steel is the perfect example of a hard-worker, someone who can keep plugging away at something for the sake of hard work- wins weren't that important. As such, he isn't an ego-centric person.
I, however, am. Immensely. Being able to crush 90% of people's faces at anything, with little practice, tends to bolster the ego. To disproportionate heights. This causes many problems, though none are apparent immediately.
Fast forward a year. The game is released, it's been a few months, and I'm still at the same relative skill as my friend. He, however, is still plugging much more time into the game than I am.
"How do you do it? I get so mad when I lose, I can't do more than like 4-5 games a day" I say.
He shrugs. "Sometimes it bothers me, but it's not bad. I just re-queue."
At this point in time, he's invested much more time into the game than I have (though I have put considerable time myself) and it's starting to show. Slowly, as the months creep by, he starts winning more and more games when we practice. And the trend never stops. I see this and practice harder and harder to keep up, but by now it's too late.
This trend isn't exclusive to my friend, but to all of ladder. For people like myself, it's only going to get worse unless we learn humility, or how to get our ego out of the game. We stagnate on ladder, whereas hard workers improve. We rage quit, they re queue. They get promoted, we get demoted. To improve we must lose, but our ego can't take that. What happened to our dominance? What happened to our face crushing ability?
It's gone, and the only way to get it back is hard work and practice, and that's the hardest lesson of all. Especially for people like me.
I say, if you're anything like me, join me. Let's learn to cast aside our egos, and let's turn this talent into results.
 
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wow, reading this was like looking into a mirror! i feel the exact same way, and it's made me play a lot less overall. after release i jumped from silver to diamond in ~30 games, but i find losses to be REALLY crushing, so i end up taking long breaks and getting rustier, which leads to more losses. very frustrating.
anyway, good luck getting your ego in check, i'm still trying to do the same. :/
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Blazinghand
United States25562 Posts
You can also turn ego into something good. Pride goeth before the fall, but sometimes when you've lost your legs and can't even push yourself up with your arms the only thing you have left to stand on is your Pride. Pride can be ugly but it can be beautiful.
I take Pride in my laddering and my efforts. I take pride in my play and my wins and my losses, and I let that Pride drive me to become better-- because I deserve it.
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I've had the same thoughts a long time ago. Instead of getting better at the game now I just don't feel like playing haha
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I was just like you, but I just decided to play as many games as possible to get better. I still get frustrated when I lose, but it's not as bad now. Right now I'm in platinum with 210+ wins, which means about 400 games if the 50/50 rule applies. Compare this to everyone else in the division, who usually have less than half the wins. I'm not as good as other players, but I play more, so someday I will become better. That is my mentality right now.
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Hey guys, thanks for the replies.
I had to write out my frustration, as I've been on the fence between masters and diamond for the last 3 seasons. I keep getting in, but I just lose so much I don't even deserve the spot...but my ego can't take being diamond. argh.
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Blazinghand
United States25562 Posts
On September 14 2011 04:41 Twistacles wrote:
Hey guys, thanks for the replies.
I had to write out my frustration, as I've been on the fence between masters and diamond for the last 3 seasons. I keep getting in, but I just lose so much I don't even deserve the spot...but my ego can't take being diamond. argh.
Being right at the top of diamond is the same as being right at the bottom of masters; you're in the 95th percentile or whatever, don't let the badge define you as a gamer, let the skill that backs it up do so.
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On September 14 2011 04:44 Blazinghand wrote:Show nested quote +On September 14 2011 04:41 Twistacles wrote:
Hey guys, thanks for the replies.
I had to write out my frustration, as I've been on the fence between masters and diamond for the last 3 seasons. I keep getting in, but I just lose so much I don't even deserve the spot...but my ego can't take being diamond. argh. Being right at the top of diamond is the same as being right at the bottom of masters; you're in the 95th percentile or whatever, don't let the badge define you as a gamer, let the skill that backs it up do so.
I'll try. Thanks 
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bullshit. you aren't top league because you're afraid to find out the limits of your talent, and pin your lack of success to a lack of effort,a ubiquitous yet common commodity in surplus in the world. Those who have no talent; Well they have nothing to lose.
Nice brag post though. Sorry for being blunt it'll help you in the long run. Your status as "only" a diamond player is less than impressive as well.
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Lol OP, you and I are alike. I, too, tend to have a "natural talent" that lets me excel quicker in something skillful quicker than the average person, usually. Then you get the reputation and pride of being exceptional, that it becomes embarassing when you show a sign of weakness. I know. But the sooner you look outside of your sphere of influence and realize it only gets greater, you will know that you have far more improvement to be done until you are perfect. Humility is your greatest solution, I suggest you become familiar with it.
On September 14 2011 04:58 Half wrote:
bullshit. you aren't top league because you're afraid to find out the limits of your talent, and pin your lack of success to a lack of effort,a ubiquitous yet common commodity in surplus in the world. Those who have no talent. Well they have nothing to lose.
Nice brag post though.
^ I really like this post and is probably the best response you got so far.
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Blazinghand
United States25562 Posts
On September 14 2011 04:58 Half wrote:
bullshit. you aren't top league because you're afraid to find out the limits of your talent, and pin your lack of success to a lack of effort,a ubiquitous yet common commodity in surplus in the world. Those who have no talent; Well they have nothing to lose.
Nice brag post though. Sorry for being blunt it'll help you in the long run. Your status as "only" a diamond player is less than impressive as well.
I think a fair point to make is that there may be some fear, as well-- fear that you will play as hard as your friend and find out that he's actually better than you, that you're not full of natural talent just brimming below the surface, etc.
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I have something like this, but instead of having "natural talent" I put much more work in than the rest of my friends, and got much better than they did much more quickly. Then I just kind of stopped driving myself to get better, so, while I had a different path, I ended in the same location as you.
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On September 14 2011 04:58 Half wrote:
bullshit. you aren't top league because you're afraid to find out the limits of your talent, and pin your lack of success to a lack of effort,a ubiquitous yet common commodity in surplus in the world. Those who have no talent; Well they have nothing to lose.
Nice brag post though. Sorry for being blunt it'll help you in the long run. Your status as "only" a diamond player is less than impressive as well.
You might be right about the first part, but the point I was making is that there isn't a limit to talent, really, cause hard work overcomes anything.
As for the second part..it's a matter of perception. Anything under high masters/gm doesn't cut it for me. Sure, low masters/diamond might be great for other people but for my ego it doesn't cut it.
On September 14 2011 05:12 Blazinghand wrote:
I think a fair point to make is that there may be some fear, as well-- fear that you will play as hard as your friend and find out that he's actually better than you, that you're not full of natural talent just brimming below the surface, etc.
I hadn't considered this. I must mull this over.
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On September 14 2011 04:58 Half wrote:
bullshit. you aren't top league because you're afraid to find out the limits of your talent, and pin your lack of success to a lack of effort,a ubiquitous yet common commodity in surplus in the world. Those who have no talent; Well they have nothing to lose.
Nice brag post though. Sorry for being blunt it'll help you in the long run. Your status as "only" a diamond player is less than impressive as well.
This, also you don't really have much "natural talent" in most disciplines there isn't really natural talent except maybe at the lowest levels, at any remotely competitive level the largest and really only major correlation is between success and practice (ok it actually has to be deliberate practice but that's not at issue here)
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If there was no talent, then wouldn't everyone learn at an equal pace?
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Blazinghand
United States25562 Posts
On September 14 2011 05:51 Twistacles wrote:
If there was no talent, then wouldn't everyone learn at an equal pace?
If they put in the same effort, yes-- but remember that it's not "practice makes perfect," it's "good, dedicated practice makes perfect."
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hahaha i don't think you have clear understanding of what talent is. What talents you think you have is a dime in a dozen. Real talents will beat Idra who worked his ass off for 2 years, with a mere 2 weeks of practice. Real talents prevents the likes of MC, nestea and MVP from having a 50% win ratio in bw leagues.
I wanna tell you a little secret, being the one is just like being in love. No one needs to tell you you are in love, you just know it, through and through.
Anyone who tells you hard work can make up for talent has never seen real talents that are motivated.
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On September 14 2011 04:58 Half wrote:
bullshit. you aren't top league because you're afraid to find out the limits of your talent, and pin your lack of success to a lack of effort,a ubiquitous yet common commodity in surplus in the world. Those who have no talent; Well they have nothing to lose.
Nice brag post though. Sorry for being blunt it'll help you in the long run. Your status as "only" a diamond player is less than impressive as well.
Uhh....what?
Afraid to find out how good you can be? That makes no sense whatsoever, or maybe I just don't understand what it is your trying to say here.
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Unfortunantly I don't really care how good I am. I think I'm quite chobo. But I still think everyone else sucks.
How's that for ego.
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EPT
