The self-improvement industry generates billions in dollars each year. The message behind all of this is, of course, "you can be better." But how much better can a person get at things? And is it worthwhile to try in some cases?
There are some who believe that expertise in an area is due almost exclusively to the work put in. A part of this makes sense, as a person has to work to improve their skills and develop. But how much of expertise is work, and how much is just pure talent?
Thinking about this issue in genetic terms helps clear things up. Let's say a person could put in x hours and become a top performer. It could almost be viewed as a formula, if you put so mnay hours in, you will achieve a certain level of expertise.
Yet if this were true, it would be impossible to distinguish the "genetic quality" of a person, and therefore be of no help in the mating game. And the mating game is where talent is of utmost importance - because talent can't be faked or earned through hours of work, and because talent is heritable.
When a person is looking for a mate, they naturally want someone who has good genetic stock and can help produce a healthy child. And this is why I think expertise is largely due to talent and not due to the amount of work put in. If someone is a top performer in athletics, music, etc., it is a good bet that they are genetically talented, and hence the children they help produce will be talented as well. This is why you see the sons and daughters of many pro athletes also excelling in sports. I think this is heavily due to genetics and not because they were brought up in a sports environment or anything else. Michael Jordan's sons appear to be pretty good at basketball and will likely get college scholarships to play - yet this is would have been easy to predict given that the sons would inherit at least some of Jordan's physical talents.
Unfortunately, I think a lot of industries prey on the belief of unlimited self-improvement. Sure, each person can get better in different areas. Yet their performance may still be dwarfed by someone with great talent who puts in only a little work. A person can always get better at something, but hard work doesn't guarantee that they will surpass others with genetic gifts in that area.
