Successes and failures grow individuals

I was talking to my brother, Mick, the other day, and he mentioned that the church in Arthur, Nebraska, had baccalaureate for the graduating seniors from high school. The speaker was a young saddle bronc rider. Mick said he wasn't a professional speaker, but Mick said he did a really good job.

Made me think of how saddle bronc riders are both born with talent and then develop their natural abilities. The Wright brothers are known throughout the rodeo world as a class act in saddle bronc riding. They are from southern Utah. Talented but trained as well. Those who ride bulls are the same. Talented, but it takes a passel of training. Those who team rope or calf rope have natural skills, but diligence in training hones their ability.

Our son seems to just understand motors and how they work and how to get them back in shape from being virtually worthless. He has natural ability, but he's learned the skills through diligence and training. But as time rushes on, motors change and needs change, so he has to learn the new requirements and changes that have come about. Years ago, motors were all metal, and now most seems to be aluminum or aluminum alloys.

Marge's sister is a darn good gardener. She is a dedicated gardener who has honed her ability through diligence and others' help. Marge's sister moved to Oklahoma from Nebraska, and this will be her first summer to garden in the heat and humidity. There is a huge difference in gardening in the South from her native Nebraska. Huge! Fungus and critters and bugs and heat all contribute to problems with gardening in the South, specifically Oklahoma. I remember when we tried to garden near Bartlesville, we had a time fighting the weeds and grass and bugs and heat. Where we live in Southeast Missouri is real similar to where we lived in Oklahoma.

When we first moved to Missouri, I got to know several in a band who would practice in an old garage. I went to listen, and it was loud. Real loud. I took ear muffs after that. What amazed me was how the musicians could just pick up an instrument, most any instrument, and play it. It might take them a bit to get the hang of it, but right away they could make it talk. It was as if the music was inside them from birth. Oh they practiced and developed their talent, but there was a gift inside them probably from birth. Our neighbor's son has gone on to college where he is excelling in music. I listened to a tuba solo a few days ago that he wrote and played. Awesome. Natural ability yes! Training and diligence? Definitely yes as well.

So how much does natural ability contribute, and how much does diligence play in the overall success of an individual? Probably there are as many opinions as there are people. Both are needed to make a well-rounded successful individual, but shortcomings can be overcome. But in my opinion there is simply no substitute for diligence and a stick-to-it mentality. It seems like at times those with the most talent fail because they have never had to struggle to succeed. Grades seemed to come too easy, and they simply have never worked or strived to succeed.

To struggle and to fail, I believe, are vital as one matures and grows personally and intellectually. Failures seem to be stepping stones to success later on in life. I can't tell how many failures I've had gardening. Just plain failures or flops. If I'd quit after the first couple failures, I wouldn't have gotten very far.

Couple thoughts to add. Seems like we praise the successes, but we criticize the failures. Maybe we need to also praise those who give it a shot or a try even if they fail. Maybe give them another opportunity to try again. Really doesn't matter the age, we need to be careful how we criticize. A little praise mixed in with criticism goes a long ways.