What is brilliance?
If you asked last Tuesday, I might have told you that Roger Federer’s movement on the tennis court and his arc-of-destruction, liquid whip of a forehand is brilliant. If you asked me last Thursday, I might have remarked that Kyrie Irving’s career-high 57 point game against the Spurs was brilliant. I might also argue that Alexander the Great’s tactical acumen in the raging heat of battle was brilliant.
The common thread is that these people make super-human tasks seem easy and fluid. It is in these spontaneous performances that we find “brilliance.” As a society, we worship the brilliant. The brilliant are revered as god-like figures, blessed with power and knowledge and understanding that mere mortals can not comprehend — Beethoven’s compositions, Tesla’s flashes of innovation, Jobs’ visionary creations all epitomize “brilliance.”
It is all too easy to attribute these superhuman efforts and endeavors to innate ability or God-given talent, but know that behind the veil of effortless creation, a story of tireless toil and sacrifice lies obfuscated. As outside observers, we will never see the pain and suffering or the hours of deliberate practice these figures poured into their craft.
Know this the next time you witness “brilliance.” Know that you too can achieve remarkable things, but only if you are willing to sacrifice blood, toil, tears and sweat to scale these heights.