"This belief in the importance of innate talent, strongest perhaps among the experts themselves and their trainers, is strangely lacking in hard evidence...Thus, motivation appears to be a more important factor than innate ability in the development of expertise. It is no accident that in music, chess and sports--all domains in which expertise is defined by competitive performance rather than academic credentialing--professionalism has been emerging at ever younger ages...Furthermore, success builds on success, because each accomplishment can strengthen a child's motivation." Ross, P. (August 2006). "The Expert Mind". Scientific American. 295 (2) pg. 64 - 71.
