Podcast Episode: Experimenting with Talent Building on My Nine Year Old

Can you start talent development at a much younger age than age twelve?

In a conversation with my wife I talk about how my experiment in talent development with my nine year old son is coming along. It can be done, but you have to weigh the cost in time of starting at such an early age versus waiting for a what I think is the more normal age of twelve. This is part of the 10,000 hours journey with developing a different talent in each of my children and my documentation of what works and doesn’t work. I think it works if you start younger than age twelve, but it is not a recommended strategy for everyone.

Your call-to-action: see if you can identify in any of your children who are younger than age twelve one ability and one family advantage that you could start putting together to begin developing a talent.

Start Focusing on Passion and Talent Building at Age Twelve

 

Start at age 12 to begin a talent focus. Don’t over-worry about missing opportunities before then as each season has its glory.

The age of twelve is a good age to start focusing on building a passion and talent. It’s at this age when the emotional desire and drive to be and do something great in their future begins. I find that if I do not help my boys feed and fuel themselves on a daily basis with the basic building blocks of a growing passion, that they become restless. The young eagles are yearning to fly up powerfully and I am happy as their father to be part of that guided and encouraging environment. And what about the younger children? They still enjoy living in the moment and so I let them run free after their basic school work and chores are complete.