The Best Minute: Developing skill, Christianity, and criticism

1 IDEA FROM ME

Much of what we assume is talent is actually skill.

Talent is what you are born with, skill is what you learn. Skill is developed and improved over time. And it is easier for us to say people are talented instead of skillful because it takes us off the hook.

Memorizing Scripture takes skill, not talent
Becoming a highly proficient musician or athlete takes skill, not talent
Getting in shape takes skill, not talent
Learning how to make appealing graphics takes skill, not talent
Becoming a great comedian takes skill, not talent

Much of what we assume “we could never do” we actually could if we put in the work. The goal, then, is not to become skillful in everything but to try to build up our skill in a few things. Yes, talent can give certain people a higher level of available proficiency, but no one becomes highly proficient at anything from talent alone.

Read the stories of highly “talented” people, and you’ll find people who put in a lot of work.

2 QUOTES FROM OTHERS

I. Philip Yancey on the uniqueness of Christianity:

The notion of God’s love coming to us free of charge, no strings attached, seems to go against every instinct of humanity. The Buddhist eight-fold path, the Hindu doctrine of karma, the Jewish covenant, and Muslim code of law - each of these offers a way to earn approval. Only Christianity dares to make God’s love unconditional.

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II. A Chilean proverb on criticism:

“Criticizing a musician is easy, but it is more difficult when you have a guitar in your hand.”

1 INTERESTING FACT

Artificial banana flavoring is based on an extinct banana.

The alleged reason why artificial banana flavor doesn’t taste like the Cavendish bananas we typically buy in the grocery store is because the artificial banana flavor wasn’t developed based on that variety of bananas. It was developed based on a variety called the Gros Michel, or the Big Mike. This variety of bananas was the standard in America until the 1950s when a fungus essentially wiped out the Gros Michel. The milder-tasting Cavendish replaced the Gros Michel as our go-to banana.

Source: Test Kitchen