THE MYTH OF TALENT

Having devoured more than my share of turkey and of chocolate over the past few days I've also begun devouring some of my Christmas gifts.I started with the DVD of the superb Danish thriller The Killing, and I managed to consume all 20 one-hour episodes over just 5 sittings, so I am now hunting the 2nd series with my HMV vouchers. My appetite then shifted to the slim paperback called Bounce by Matthew Syed, journalist and former international table-tennis champion. His book aims to debunk the notion of the "talent myth" that super-achievers are born not moulded, and he trumpets the extraordinary successes we can all achieve if we practice enough, work hard and believe in ourselves. His anecdotes are really inspiring and the book is an optimistic and stimulating slant on the recipe for sporting and business success. This time of year seems to accentuate my appetites for so many things, and I am sure some January trimming will be required, but the core messages of Matthew Syed's book will stay with me long into 2012.