Do you believe hard work can reach and surpass geniuses?

Question

Do you think that if you worked really hard for something, do you believe you could surpass a genius at it? If you wanted to be a gymnast, would you be able to work really hard at it and be able to jump great heights and do amazing acrobatic moves? Or do you believe that everybody has their own "specialty" and is limited to certain others. (And I ask this in the diet & fitness section mainly because I ask about being a great athlete and gymnast)

Answer 1

no

Answer 2

Everyone is born with a certain amount of genetically determined maximum potential. Hard work can get you up close to the 100% point in actualizing that potential. But not all the training in the world will permit you to exceed it.

How long would a man have to practice sprinting before he could outsprint a cheetah? Cheetahs run 70 miles per hour. No man will ever run that fast, no matter how much he trains. Cheetahs were simply born with more potential for fast running than people are.

It's like that with the hominid races, too. They're different, and they have differing potentials in various areas of achievement. Some are more intelligent than others, in general and on the average.

A genius who only develops 10% of his potential for learning can be surpassed by someone with a mere 100 IQ who develops all of his. But few geniuses are going to be so lazy as that. Most of them will develop as much or more of their potential than average people do, so the genius will nearly always far outstrip the average person in intellectual attainments.

On the other hand, genius can be deliberately suppressed, and sometimes there are political reasons for doing such a bad thing. The US government's "No Child Left Behind" Act is ostensibly intended to do the impossible, namely require schools to train Black students so that they perform above their inborn potential for performing. Since that is not possible, what the schools will do instead is find ways to limit the performance of White students, and then claim credit for "closing the gap in scholastic achievement." NCLB will suppress White genius so that Black incompetence doesn't show so much.

Answer 3

Very tough question.
Anybody can learn gymnastics. As a child, I had an amazing talent for gymnastics, but I never had lessons. I had to just copy my friends in the backyard and gymnasts that I saw on tv. Obviously, those with training developed skills that I never did.
I believe that with training, no one could have competed with me.
Hard work can get you all the way there; but someone with "genius" may be always be 1 step ahead of you. And, they will make it look easy.

Answer 4

Thomas Edison said that genius is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration. In other words, if you work hard enough to surpass a genius, people will call you a genius. But it does help if what you work at is something for which you have some talent.

Answer 5

In athletics hard work and determination are everything, if you have them you will go far. I started body building ten years ago at the age of 25 when I was a skinny 118 pounds. So many people told me I just didn't have the genetics, I would never be big or muscular. Well I'm almost 200 lbs now and have silenced all the critics. I used their negativity for fuel, "you say I can't, I'll prove I can"
Good luck and never give up.

Answer 6

I think that hard work can only give you so much in life. Not everyone has a specialty: some people suck at everything and others are good at many things. If you are born to be a gymnast and you work hard, it is possible to succeed; but, there will always be that guy that half asses it and is still better than everyone around him.

Answer 7

Yes, most of the time. Perseverance and tenaciousness has a greater chance for success compared to the brilliant but lazy individual. Assume that the gymnastics whiz has the instinct for a lot of moves but is too lazy to practice. Contrast this to the plodder who is willing to be hurt again and again just to perfect the moves and routine a little bit at a time but completely. Come reckoning time, the plodder wins although not as flashy as the whiz but more perfect and smoother. It's the hare and the tortoise tale, really.

Answer 8

I believe that people are more likely to excel in an area they are passionate about, this could imply that they might surpass genius (becoming themselves a genius at that particular task) However there are limitations and genetically not everyone is created equal. This just means that there definitely are talents and abilities that each person excels at.

Answer 9

It depends.

There are some people who are incredibly intelligent but have all the work ethic of a flat tire. In those cases, yeah, you could surpass a genius.

Or, in terms of athletics, look at a guy like Wayne Chrebet. He wasn't the biggest guy on the Jets, he wasn't the fastest, but he played hard every down and did a great job of working for his job.

Answer 10

If you have 0 atheletic talent, then doesn't matter how much hard work you put into it, you'll never be a great athelet.

You need SOME ability/talent to be able to succeed. If you do, hard work can get you very far, however, you still would not be able to surpass a genuis that also works hard.

Answer 11

It is a combination of your potential, and how hard you work. Some people may have to work harder in a specific area to achieve their goals, but that's life. Therefore, depending upon how hard you work at something you can be better than the person who is naturally better, unless you are substantially physically/mentally handicapped. By the way, if you are looking for a way to improve your itelligences (yes, plural, because there is more than one factor) message me or visit www.learntolearn.com. Works for 90% of people and is permanent