Graphs of the amateurs’ reactions showed that they could anticipate where the ball would go only if they witnessed the racket making contact with it. Experts knew what would happen roughly a third of a second earlier, when the server’s cocked arm was still unfolding.
What happened in that fraction of a second? A lot, Farrow reasoned. Up to a point, he theorized, the direction of a serve was fundamentally unpredictable: Whatever clues existed weren’t ones that an opposing player could discern. By the time the ball had been hit, on the other hand, even a novice could make a plausible guess at its trajectory. What separated the pros from everyone else was the ability to pull directional information out of the early stages of a swing and therefore to predict a split second earlier where to head.
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The difference is vision. It’s to be able to see where things are going before others can. It’s the ability to see things that others normally don’t. And contrary to popular belief, the article shows that it’s probably trainable.
Similarly, what sets apart traditional ‘geniuses’ from the rest of us? People who have changed the world – Einstein, Steve Jobs, Galileo, the list goes on – what separates them from us? While I do believe that some talent is born with, I believe we all have the potential to be that talented. It can be taught.
What sets them apart is what they saw. They looked at things in a different way. They were able to see where thing were going, they were able to envision the future and the future possibilities. And they worked based on that. But that vision can be taught and trained. We all have that potential, if we train it well, we all have that potential to change the world.
Train yourself to envision the future, to envision what lies ahead. Learn how to see things in a different light. And you too can change the world.
