Some people think talent is born. The often-told story of Mozart playing piano at 3 and composing at 5 reinforces such beliefs.

有些人認(rèn)為天分是天生的，那些老生常談的莫扎特三歲彈鋼琴，五歲作曲的故事加深了這種信念。

But here’s the rest of that story: Mozart’s father was a successful musician, composer and instructor. He was devoted to teaching Mozart and helping him practice hard and achieve perfection.

但故事后面鮮為人知的事實(shí)是：莫扎特的父親是一位很成功的音樂人，作曲家和教師。他不遺余力地教授莫扎特，幫助他刻苦練習(xí)以臻完美。

Despite all this, Mozart did not produce his first masterwork until his early 20s – after about 15 years of arduous practice and top-notch instruction.

盡管如此，經(jīng)過大約15年的艱苦的磨礪和卓越的教導(dǎo)，直到莫扎特 20出頭，他才完成了他的第一部巨作。

Talent, I argue, is not born, it’s made – and parents can make a big difference.

因此我有理由說，天分，不是天生的，它是創(chuàng)造出來的-而父母是成敗的關(guān)鍵。

Although some might believe that talent is rare, psychologist Benjamin Bloom said otherwise after he investigated top performers in six talent domains: “What any person in the world can learn, almost all persons can learn if provided with the appropriate conditions of learning.”

雖然有些人相信天分是罕見的，Benjamin Bloom 在研究了六大領(lǐng)域的優(yōu)秀人才之后得出相反的結(jié)論：“提供適宜的學(xué)習(xí)條件，世界上任何人能學(xué)到的， 幾乎所有的人都能學(xué)到”。

Those appropriate conditions include five things: an early start, expert instruction, deliberate practice, a center of excellence, and singleness of purpose.

這些適宜的條件包括五個(gè)因素：早期開始，師出有門，精心練習(xí)， 英才中心，目標(biāo)專一。

Children can’t ignite and stoke these talent factors on their own. Instead, as I argue in my 2019 book, “Nurturing Children’s Talents: A Guide for Parents,” children need a talent manager, most often a parent, to nurture talent growth. I make this case as an educational psychologist who specializes in learning and talent development.

兒童不能自己激發(fā)和鼓勵(lì)這些天分因素。 正如我在2019年出版的“培養(yǎng)兒童天分：父母指南”一書中指出的，孩子需要一個(gè)天才經(jīng)紀(jì)來培養(yǎng)天分， 而這個(gè)經(jīng)紀(jì)往往是兒童的父母。我把這個(gè)作為我這個(gè)專門研究學(xué)習(xí)與天才培養(yǎng)的教育心理學(xué)家的一個(gè)案例。

Let’s take a closer look at these talent factors and parents’ influence.

讓我們來深入了解這些天才因素和父母的影響。

The seeds of talent are usually planted early and in the home. One study revealed that 22 of 24 talented performers – from chess players to figure skaters – were introduced to their talent domains by parents, usually between ages 2 and 5.

天才的種子往往是在早期并且是在家里種下的。有一個(gè)課題組研究了24個(gè)從國際象棋到花樣滑冰的天才選手，發(fā)現(xiàn)其中22個(gè)是由他們父母在他們2-5歲的時(shí)候引導(dǎo)入門的。

Many phenoms get an early start, research shows. 

研究表明，很多名人是從早期就開始培養(yǎng)的。

Some of those parents were elite performers or coaches themselves. One was national championship volleyball coach John Cook, who raised All-American volleyball star Lauren Cook.

這些父母中的一部分本身也是精英選手或教練。比如國家排球錦標(biāo)賽教練John Cook,  他培養(yǎng)了全美排球明星Lauren Cook。

“I think my daughter had an advantage because of my job,” coach Cook said. “She grew up around volleyball. When she was a little kid, we set up a mini court in the basement and would play volleyball on our knees.”

“我認(rèn)為我女兒的成就得益于我的工作。”Cook教練說：“她是圍繞著排球長大的。當(dāng)她還是小小孩的時(shí)候，我們在地下室建了一個(gè)迷你排球場，她會在我們膝蓋上玩球。”

Some parents were not linked to the child’s eventual talent area but provided a nurturing early environment that sparked a talent interest. Such was the case for Adora Svitak, an accomplished child writer and presenter.

有些父母與孩子最終的人才領(lǐng)域沒有關(guān)聯(lián)，但提供了激發(fā)人才興趣的早期培育環(huán)境。 卓有成就的兒童作家和演講家Adora Svitak就是這種情況。

Adora published two books by age 11 and made hundreds of international presentations, including a TED Talk viewed by millions. Adora’s parents, John and Joyce, were not writers or presenters, but they set the stage for Adora’s accomplishments. As her mother describes, they read “interesting and fascinating” books to her for more than an hour each night. “Reading really helped shape Adora’s love for learning and reading,” she said.

Adora在11歲時(shí)出版了兩本書，并作了數(shù)百場國際演講，其中包括被數(shù)百萬觀眾觀賞的TED演講。Adora的父母John和Joyce不是作家或演講家 ，但他們?yōu)锳dora的成就奠定了基礎(chǔ)。 正如她母親所描述的那樣，他們每晚都會給她讀一個(gè)多小時(shí)“有趣而迷人”的書。她說：“閱讀確實(shí)幫助塑造了Adora對學(xué)習(xí)和閱讀的熱愛?！?/p>

In addition, they encouraged Adora’s early writing, offered guidance, helped her publish her books and arranged speaking engagements. Joyce eventually quit her job to manage Adora’s career. She said, “It is a full-time job, and it can be hard. But, I don’t just manage somebody; I manage my daughter.”

此外，他們鼓勵(lì)A(yù)dora的早期寫作，并提供指導(dǎo)，幫助她出版書籍和安排演講活動(dòng)。 后來Joyce慢慢放棄了自己的工作來管理Adora的職業(yè)生涯。 她說：“這是一份很艱巨的全職工作，我不只是管理某個(gè)人; 我是管理我的女兒。“

Parents go to great lengths to provide or arrange expert instruction. Chess grandmaster Kayden Troff learned how to play chess at age 3 while observing his father, Dan, and older siblings play.

家長們竭盡全力提供或安排專家指導(dǎo)。 國際象棋大師Kayden Troff 通過觀看他的父親Dan和年長的兄弟姐妹對弈，在3歲時(shí)學(xué)會了如何下棋。

With few chess resources near their Utah home, Dan assumed chess-coaching duties. To do so, Dan studied chess 10 to 15 hours a week during lunch breaks and after hours.

由于他在猶他州的家附近國際象棋資源有限，他父親Dan主動(dòng)擔(dān)任起教練一職。為此，Dan利用午休和下班后的空余時(shí)間每周學(xué)習(xí)10到15個(gè)小時(shí)國際象棋。

He read books, watched videos, and studied grandmaster games that allowed him to create a book with specialized lessons to instruct Kayden during nightly training sessions. Eventually, when Dan could no longer keep pace with Kayden’s growth, he arranged for Kayden to take lessons from grandmasters via the internet.

Dan讀書，觀看視頻，并研究大師級比賽，最后寫了一本為Kayden量身定做的書，在每晚的課程中指導(dǎo)他。 最后當(dāng)Dan無法跟上Kayden的成長時(shí)，他安排Kayden通過互聯(lián)網(wǎng)從大師那里學(xué)習(xí)。

To pay for lessons costing US$300 a month, Dan, a banker, and his wife worked extra jobs as custodians and spent 400 hours organizing an annual chess camp.

為了支付每月300美元的課程，作為銀行家的Dan 和他的妻子身兼數(shù)職以勝任監(jiān)護(hù)人職責(zé)，并且花400個(gè)小時(shí)組織了一次一年一度的國際象棋營。

Practice among the talented is never casual, it’s deliberate: goal-directed and beyond one’s comfort zone.

有才能的人的訓(xùn)練從來都不是隨意的，它是精心刻意的堅(jiān)守目標(biāo)挑戰(zhàn)自己。

State high school swim champion Caroline Thiel described her taxing practice routine this way:

州立高中游泳冠軍Caroline Thiel用這種方式描述了她的艱苦練習(xí)：

“Some days in practice you’re just so exhausted. You’re sore and your entire body aches, and it’s hard to find motivation. Your brain shuts down but your body keeps going through the muscle aches, heavy breathing and throwing up. People don’t realize how hard swimmers practice; they think we just jump in the pool and swim a few laps.”

“在練習(xí)的某些日子里，你已經(jīng)筋疲力盡了。你渾身酸痛身疲力盡失去動(dòng)力。你的大腦已麻痹，但在疼痛的肌肉，沉重的呼吸和翻江倒海的嘔吐中你的身體依然得奮力前行。人們沒有意識到游泳運(yùn)動(dòng)員的訓(xùn)練有多么艱難， 他們以為我們只是跳進(jìn)游泳池并游了幾圈。“

Becoming a champion swimmer takes arduous practice. 

成為冠軍游泳選手有賴于艱苦的訓(xùn)練

When I asked Jayde Atkins, a national high school rodeo champion, why she is so talented, she said, “Look at all I have, I should be good.” Jayde was raised on a horse ranch in central Nebraska and began riding at age 2.

當(dāng)我問全國高中牛仔競技冠軍Jayde Atkins為什么她如此才華橫溢時(shí)，她說：“看看我所做過的一切，我理應(yīng)這么好。”Jayde在內(nèi)布拉斯加州中部的一個(gè)牧馬場長大，兩歲的時(shí)候開始馬上生涯。

Her parents, Sonya and J.B., are riders and professional horse trainers who taught her the ropes and practiced with her for hours each day. The Atkins had well-bred horses and a big trailer to transport them to nearby towns for rodeo competitions. The family ranch was a self-made center of rodeo excellence.

她的父母Sonya和J.B.是騎手和專業(yè)的馴馬師，他們每天陪她練習(xí)幾個(gè)小時(shí)， 教她套牛。Atkins 一家擁有優(yōu)質(zhì)馬匹和運(yùn)送馬匹到附近城鎮(zhèn)進(jìn)行牛仔競技比賽的大拖車。家庭牧場是Atkins牛仔競技的英才中心。

Most talented performers do not a have a center of excellence outside their back door. In those cases, they may travel to get to one. Consider three tennis players from Lincoln, Nebraska, my hometown. With their parents’ blessing and support, Jon and Joel Reckewey left home as teenagers and moved three hours away to Kansas where they trained at the prestigious Mike Wolf Tennis Academy.

大多數(shù)高手們沒有家庭能提供的英才中心。在這種情況下，他們需要靠旅行來實(shí)現(xiàn)。來自我家鄉(xiāng)內(nèi)布拉斯加州林肯市的三名網(wǎng)球運(yùn)動(dòng)員便是如此。在父母的祝福和支持下，Jon和Joel Reckewey在青少年時(shí)期就搬到離家三個(gè)小時(shí)的堪薩斯州，在那里他們在著名的邁克沃爾夫網(wǎng)球?qū)W院接受訓(xùn)練。

Wimbledon and U.S. Open doubles champion Jack Sock traveled weekly to that same tennis academy as a boy before his entire family eventually relocated to Kansas. With parents’ support, budding stars often gravitate to centers of excellence, where top coaches and rising stars flock.

溫布爾登網(wǎng)錦標(biāo)賽和美國網(wǎng)球公開賽的雙打冠軍Jack Sock 從孩提起每周都去同一個(gè)網(wǎng)球?qū)W院訓(xùn)練， 直到他父母最終搬家到堪薩斯州。在父母的支持下，嶄露頭角的明星往往被那些頂級教練和新星們追求的英才中心所吸引。

Talented people display a singleness of purpose.

有才能的人會展示他們目標(biāo)專一的特性。

One chess parent I interviewed told me, “The extraordinary time we put toward this one activity takes him out of a lot of fun and games.” Another parent said, “He’s not interested in school; he’s interested in chess. He just lives and breathes chess.” That same parent said, “We once took chess away (because of low school performance) and he was miserable. It was like yanking out the soul.”

我采訪過的一位國際象棋父母告訴我，“我們?yōu)檫@項(xiàng)活動(dòng)付出的額外時(shí)間讓他失去了很多其他的樂趣和游戲?！绷硪晃患议L說：“他對學(xué)校不感興趣;他對國際象棋很感興趣。他與下棋呼吸與共。” 這些父母還說，”我們曾經(jīng)因?yàn)樗趯W(xué)校表現(xiàn)不好而禁止他下棋，但他難過得如失魂落魄一樣。“

When I asked chess parents why their children dedicate themselves to chess the way they do, they were unanimous about how much joy and satisfaction their children got from pursuing chess.

當(dāng)我問國際象棋的父母們?yōu)槭裁此麄兊暮⒆訒绱双I(xiàn)身于國際象棋時(shí)，他們不約而同地談到孩子在沉迷國際象棋過程中帶給他們的樂趣和成就感。 

Parents support this singleness of purpose. However, on occasion, they may find themselves supporting more than one passion. For instance, McKenzie Steiner is an all-state softball player and rising country music star. Her father, Scott, was McKenzie’s longtime softball coach, logging thousands of hours a year on the diamond and practicing pitching in the backyard, and also serving as her country band assembler, promoter and manager.

父母支持這樣的目標(biāo)專一。然而，有時(shí)他們可能會發(fā)現(xiàn)自己支持孩子們不止一種的追求。例如，McKenzie Steiner是一個(gè)全州最佳壘球運(yùn)動(dòng)員和鋒芒漸露的鄉(xiāng)村音樂明星。她的父親Scott是McKenzie的長期壘球教練，他每年在壘球場進(jìn)行數(shù)千小時(shí)的訓(xùn)練并在自家后院練習(xí)投球，而且還組建了鄉(xiāng)村樂隊(duì)， 擔(dān)任樂隊(duì)的推廣人和經(jīng)紀(jì)人。

Although stories of pushy parents abound, the parents I spoke with recognize that children must drive the talent train with passion and hard work and that parents can only help keep the train on track. They helped because they saw a need that only they could meet. They would no sooner ignore a talent need than a medical need. And, of course, they help because they love their children and want them to be fulfilled.

雖然虎媽虎爸的故事比比皆是，但我與之交談的父母都認(rèn)識到，孩子們必須以激情和勤奮駕駛天分的火車，父母能做的是幫助保持火車在正常軌道上運(yùn)行。他們提供幫助是因?yàn)樗麄兛吹搅酥挥兴麄儾拍芴峁椭男枨蟆Ｋ麄兗皶r(shí)重視天才的需求，就像重視醫(yī)療需求一樣。 當(dāng)然，他們提供幫助是因?yàn)樗麄儛圩约旱暮⒆硬⑾Ｍ麄兡軐?shí)現(xiàn)他們的理想。