[Life] Encountering Without Talent

Author: JEFFI CHAO HUI WU

Time: 2025-8-18 Monday, 7:14 AM

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[Life] Encountering Without Talent

I always thought of myself as the kind of person whose talents go unrecognized. When I was young, I studied and felt smart, learning quickly. But once I entered society, I realized that being smart isn't valuable; only the kind of smart that can be monetized is valuable. When I first graduated and went for interviews, I had a beautifully written resume and spoke confidently in interviews, yet I was rejected over a dozen times. I couldn't understand: clearly, I knew more than others, so why didn't anyone want me? It was only later that I understood that knowing a lot doesn't mean being able to work, being able to work doesn't mean being able to make money, and making money doesn't mean being able to fit into a team. True "talent" isn't about self-perception; it's about being able to solve problems at critical moments and fitting in with the environment.

I have worked in many industries, including printing factories, logistics, e-commerce, community activities, and even briefly as an investor and a content creator. Along the way, I have stumbled and fumbled, quickly exhausting my enthusiasm. When I was young, I always thought I could change the world with my intelligence, but later I gradually realized: I am not a genius, I just learn things a bit faster than others. True professionalism requires time and accumulation, while I always wanted to take shortcuts.

The phrase "having talent but not being appreciated" has harmed many people, including myself. It leads one to mistakenly believe that the world owes them an opportunity, without considering whether they possess the ability to match that opportunity. The so-called "not being appreciated" is actually about my failure to find a way for others to "appreciate" me.

The real world does not speak of sentiment, only of adaptation. Just like in the forest, no animal complains about being underappreciated. Wolves do not blame rabbits for running too fast, and rabbits do not blame the grass for not growing enough. They either evolve or starve. Human society is the same; complaining is useless. You either adjust yourself or get eliminated. I once envied those who became "overnight sensations," but later realized that most of them had quietly accumulated experience for a long time before their rise. My guitar piece requires a thousand repetitions to play spontaneously; my Tai Chi takes years of practice to be able to stand and sweat by the seaside in low temperatures. None of this is talent; it is all built from time and sweat.

I have many examples like this. In 1986, I was among the first generation of computer university students in China; in 1989, I became one of the first generation of stock investors in China; that same year, I experienced a cold night surgery in Melbourne and realized how fragile life can be. In 1997, I developed a prototype for intelligent logistics on an ordinary laptop, capable of verifying tens of thousands of records in just 5 seconds. It was then that I discovered that "capability" is not about being comprehensive, but about solving a specific problem at a critical moment.

In 2004, I created two national-level literature websites; in 2005, I proposed "global procurement"; during the peak of the pandemic in 2020, I raised and distributed ten thousand life-saving masks. Each of these events, looking back, seems like a flashpoint of "talent," but at the time, I often felt unappreciated, as there was no applause and no followers. It wasn't until much later that I admitted: it wasn't unrecognized talent, but rather "unskilled yet encountered"—my abilities were not sufficient to leverage a larger stage.

Martial arts experience is the same. In 2013, I made a special trip to Chenjiagou to seek my roots, and only then did I truly understand the meaning of "mentorship." Previously, when practicing boxing, I thought my routines were complete and my movements standard, but I realized the gap between me and true inheritance was vast. At that moment, I realized that the so-called unrecognized talent is not that others cannot see it, but rather that I had taken the wrong direction.

Writing is the same. From being received by the Australian Prime Minister in 2007, to founding the quarterly "Rainbow Parrot," and now to the multilingual "Era Leap," I have written nearly four hundred articles. In my early years, I often wondered: why does no one read my work? Why are forums lively while articles are neglected? It was only later that I realized this was not a case of being talented but unrecognized, but rather "unskilled yet recognized": my writing had not yet addressed the genuine needs of others. It wasn't until I constructed "historical anchor points" and connected dozens of fields from a systematic perspective that people gradually began to understand this as a new structural civilization.

Looking back, the so-called unrecognized talent is merely an excuse for self-comfort. True talent is not self-proclaimed, but recognized by the market, the environment, and others. If no one recognizes it for a long time, either the direction is wrong, or the effort is insufficient. The biggest problem for those without talent but with opportunities is mistaking potential for strength. Potential is worthless; only realized potential has value. If potential is never realized, it is just a piece of worthless paper.

Therefore, I am willing to summarize my life with the phrase "talentless yet encountering." It is not a sense of inferiority, but a kind of wisdom: acknowledging that I am not good enough allows me to continue growing; accepting my lack of talent enables me to encounter new opportunities time and again. Talentless yet encountering is not a tragedy, but the beginning of awakening. Just like when I teach my students Tai Chi, the first lesson is: "Don't think about becoming a master; first think about standing firm for one more second tomorrow than today." That second is the true talent.

Source: https://www.australianwinner.com/AuWinner/viewtopic.php?t=697244