Difference Between Hobbies, Talent & Skills
We are all going to have different gifts in our life.
At times, something will come easy to us while it’s difficult for someone else.
Want to know the stinger?
The thing that comes easy to us is something that we don’t enjoy.
While the person who really wants to get good at the thing that we take for granted enjoys doing it.
Life is filled with unfair moments like this.
However, life has 2 equalizers:
The Differences in a Nutshell
Talents are based around gifts.
Hobbies are based around curiosity.
Skills are based around society.
‘Hey Armani, can hobbies and skills both be based around curiosity?’
Yes.
‘Can skills be based around gifts?’
Yes.
Despite all of them leading with a different narrative, all 3 are capable of intertwining.
As a matter of fact, you know you have found your calling when all 3 intertwine.
Talent Explained
Talent is something that we are born with.
People can argue that it’s something they worked for.
However, if you go to top performers, they’ll say:
‘I just had a gift for this particular field.’
Jay Z claims he always had a good rhythm and could create complex rhyme schemes on the spot.
He grew up in a music household.
Same with LeBron James.
He said that he was God gifted to be born with good genetics.
For me, it’s with impromptu speaking.
In Toastmasters, it didn’t take me too long to learn the Table Topics portion within the club.
The impromptu speech section.
If someone asked me how I learned it so fast, I’d say:
‘Idk bro, it’s just a gift.’
Skills Explained
But I didn’t leave impromptu speaking as a talent alone.
I spent the next few years sharpening my talent into a skillset.
I’ve posted over 700 podcasts, and 1500 YouTube videos talking about topics on the fly.
During these moments, I have:
- Worked on my breathing.
- Watched my content back.
- Removed fluff and tried to zone in on the message.
- Was strict with the time limit that I assigned myself.
I created rules for the talent to blossom.
‘Why are rules needed? Can’t we do without them?’
No.
Because with skills, we are trying to benefit society in some way.
If I’m just rambling left and right, then that’s not impromptu speaking.
That’s just me yapping.
I needed to create rules for my raw talent, so I could polish a talk and make it entertaining for the listeners to consume.
Similarly, if Lebron James never practiced and played in NBA games like he does on the playground, then that would not benefit society.
His teams would constantly lose, and the public wouldn’t want to watch that.
LeBron had to get his raw talent of basketball, and practice so he could add value to society.
Hobbies Explained
Hobbies are something we’d do whether we got paid or not.
It’s based on curiosity.
I know this guy who knows all about history.
He knows about the Roman empire, former US presidents, Cleopatra, etc.
I think:
‘Where does this guy find the time to learn all of this?’
He finds the time because he is curious about the topic.
Since he is curious, this is a hobby.
A lot of hobbies become the best skills if we are willing to invest in them.
Initially, you may suck at the hobbies.
Where you don’t have the God-given talents.
However, if you are curious enough, then you will turn the raw energy into a skill.
That curiosity will drive you to practice more, learn more about the field, and put in the extra hours.
Soon, you will become proficient in the task and society will benefit.
Other Thoughts on Hobbies, Talents, and Skills
In the real world, you’ll often see a super-talented person who has 0 work ethic.
They take their talents for granted.
Heck, a lot of these folks resent their talent.
I knew a dancer like this.
This guy could learn any dance by just looking at the moves once.
He was God gifted.
In college, there is a thing called “strolling.”
This is when a fraternity does a certain dance together to represent their organization.
This guy was the king of strolling.
He barely practiced though.
The problem came when brothers from other chapters requested he come to their chapter and teach their brothers how to stroll.
He soon grew a strong distaste for strolling.
He hated his talent.
It was becoming a job.
On the flipside, there was a guy in his organization who sucked at strolling.
He lacked rhythm, was out of shape, and couldn’t memorize the moves.
But he was so curious about it.
He learned the history of strolling, the different moves other fraternities did, and watched his tapes back.
After all the practice, he was still SOOO bad.
Despite him treating strolling like a hobby, he just lacked the skills.
During moments like this, avoid trying to push a square peg into a circle hole.
Accept reality for what it is.
There are millions of skills you can become great in.
If one’s not working out, know when to quit.
Quitting to Find Something New
I think we all have a gift.
It just takes experimentation and introspection to find that gift.
No matter how curious I am about basketball, I know I’m never going to make it to the NBA.
I just lack the skills at this stage of my life.
Can I still learn to dribble and shoot to possibly make it to the league?
Sure.
But I’m not betting on it.
I will leave basketball as a hobby rather than forcing it into something that it’s not.
You should do the same.
What are you already talented in?
Others keep talking to you about it:
‘You’re so good at X.’
The people that are giving you these compliments don’t even know each other!
That’s saying something.
Pay attention to comments like this.
You have a talent that’s begging to be turned into a hobby and a skill.
Just look closer at your life.
For more insights into skill building, check out the Level Up Mentality Book
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