Paul O’Connell’s Brilliant Inspiring Message To People In All Walks Of Life
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Paul O’Connell has warned against the notion of ‘God-given talent’ or ‘born naturals’ in sport and in life.
The age old saying has been used in all walks of life and the former Munster, Ireland and Lions captain is having none of it. It’s a brilliant message to all aspiring rugby player’s in particular who need to realised that hard work pays off and there’s no such notion as being born with talent or without it.
O’Connell is a testament to this himself.
“You hear a lot about a person having a God-given talent. I hate that phrase.” O’Connell said.
“It’s a dangerous saying. I’m not against God, but God is a reasonable guy who doesn’t go around distributing talent.
“You hear about somebody having an ear for music, a born natural and inheriting a talent for a game in their DNA. There are a whole load of sayings like this that permeate our conversation: That excellence is somehow pre-ordained. It is not.
“This belief denies the incentive to practise and make that huge effort needed to reach your goal. There is this myth and I don’t buy into it. Beware of this talk about God-given talent and don’t let anybody put their dreams of success aside because they might feel they don’t have the same talent as others.”
O’Connell was speaking at the JP McManus all-Ireland third-level scholarships awards at the University of Limerick and the told students there is no substitute for hard work.
“Everybody has the same opportunity to work and practise. People who are excellent at what they do have practised more and often fail more but work harder and bounce back. It’s about being prepared to work and graft very hard.”
After Tiger Woods became the youngest winner of the Masters in Augusta he was written about as being the most natural golf talent ever seen.
“But if you dig into his past you see the real story of his father working on his golf game even before he was a year old. It was relentless hard work and dedication and did not come to him naturally.”
Wise words from a man that was no stranger to hard work.
