“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard,” uttered my tennis coach. Never were truer words spoken to me. I was a measly high-school freshman, new to the sport. I understood I didn’t possess talent, but I figured I could push myself and improve my talent. Talents are distributed differently to individuals, and I realized that I had no control over the talents I had been dealt. Regardless, I could play to my strengths, applying myself to fields that build on my talents and work hard to excel in those. This has been my life philosophy: To be content with the talents I had been granted and capitalize on them through persistent and challenging practice. I accept this truth as irrefutable, inarguable. I love the fact that I can compete with any talented person in any field and reap the same if not better results with some elbow grease and determination. For instance, Humanities, specifically writing, has never been my greatest strength. Writing was an aspect of education that I formerly tended to disregard. Also not putting much effort into it; “It’s not what I’m good at, I don’t care about it,” was my line of logic. Yet, I reminded myself of the coach’s words when I felt like the odds were stacked up against me. I had to finally accept that writing was and always will be an integral part of a well-rounded education, it surely wasn’t a talent of mine, I could work to get better and become a decent writer. With a few years of essay writing under my belt and a “can do” attitude, I have become a solid academic writer. The moral of the story? Do what pleases you even if it doesn’t cater to your given talents, because hard work beats talent on any given day.