Perpetual qualities that matter more than talent

"You will only be able to maintain your career for around 10 years at best if you depend merely on your talent alone. After that, you will need to replace your smart brains with greater and more perpetual quality,” Japanese author Haruki Murakami wrote in his book “Novelist as a Vocation.”

Murakami is well known for his great works, such as “Norwegian Wood” and "IQ84.” Making a professional debut in 1979, he has written for 45 years. "Novelist as a Vocation” is his autobiographical essay written in his signature style, characterized by calm and concise narratives to talk about what has enabled him to produce good stories for long years ceaselessly.

Talent makes for a great artist. All of his outstanding works prove that Murakami is a gifted writer. However, he describes himself not as a genius full of artistic inspirations and spirits but as a professional who works persistently, constantly, and patiently based on work ethics. God-given gifts do not automatically make you a great novelist; instead, you must resort to ceaseless training and practice to develop and polish your innate skills.

Although I am not a novelist, I spend many hours reading and writing a variety of materials, including academic theses, research papers, general books, and columns, because I am a researcher and author. Frankly speaking, insightful writings and acute analyses written by other authors often make me so jealous and frustrated that I even lament about not being born with such incredible skills.

However, I have realized that my unwavering dedication and efforts to keep the abilities I already have are as important as any natural gifts I was born with. This year marks the 10th anniversary of my research and writing career. I ask myself what will take to stay longer on this career path even without any genius skills and smartness. The key may lie in making a ceaseless effort to internalize perpetual qualities as Murakami suggests.