Dave Trott’s Blog

What chance do those of us who aren’t talented stand against those who are?

Is it ever possible for ordinary people to beat the gifted?

In my experience, yes.

Talented people tend to be complacent, and consequently lazy.

All you have to actually do is work harder.

So the issue becomes, where do you get the energy to work harder from?

Some people get it artificially: coke or speed for instance.

Such a chemical dump into the bloodstream will certainly give you energy.

But it is illegal and unhealthy in the long term.

So is there any chemical dump into the bloodstream that isn’t illegal or unhealthy?

Well yes actually, adrenalin.

Great, but where do you get it?

The answer is fear.

If you learn how to make yourself frightened, you can turn on the adrenalin tap.

This will give you a massive dump of energy into your bloodstream.

The energy to stay at your desk writing ads when everyone else is over the pub.

The energy to do what you know you ought to do, but don’t want to do.

The energy to put short term fun on the back burner, and long term career on the front burner.

The trick of course, is to control the fear.

Make sure you’ve got it, and it hasn’t got you.

Choose to be frightened rather than resisting being frightened.

It’s a great source of energy.

Of course most people will tell you the opposite.

Don’t be afraid, it’s unproductive.

In my experience these are the people who are over the pub when they could be working.

In my experience these are the losers.

People who are frightened of fear.

Because fear is the enemy of laziness.

And talented people have learnt that they are better.

So they don’t have to try so hard.

They’ve learned they can afford to be lazy.

And that’s where they’re vulnerable.

So don’t resist fear, learn how to generate it.

Make fear your friend.

Fear generates energy.

And energy will always beat talent in the long run.