Talent doesn't exist. (and that's a good thing!)

At least not in the way you probably think.
The concept of "Talent" in my experience makes us think worse of ourselves and what we're capable of achieving.
I’ve heard so many people write themselves off and say “Oh, I’d love to be a guitar player, or graphic designer, or a KZbinr, but I just don’t have the talent-I don’t have whatever it is that other, more successful person has, I wasn’t born with it, so I may as well not try.”
If you’ve ever said something like that to yourself, you're wrong. You have what it takes to be successful at whatever it is you want to achieve.
Most people are underestimating what they’re capable of, and I want to speak up about it.
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Join the Neat Club: NeatOnTheRocks...
Discord: / discord
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Videos referenced:
‪@HealthyGamerGG‬ "Talking with Ludwig - ‪@ludwig‬" • Talking with Ludwig - ...

[@NeatOnTheRocks]

You are Kenough

[@lil_s24]

Sho-ryu-ken 🔥🙋

[@SpringDavid]

Ha-Duck-Ken 🕺🔥

[@JoshTheWoz]

I love this series! Can't wait for the next one! XD

[@chris1229sonic]

No I am not

[@SonicntZane]

entire 18 minute video summed up in three words

[@pikasome2585]

Alternate Title: Man gives a motivational speech while playing Sonic 2

[@NeatOnTheRocks]

Entirely accurate statement

[@Lifeistooshortbro]

lol 😂 pretty much

[@DarkD33p]

Accurate. :D

[@420jw]

I like how that works in both ways

[@Newibe]

Tbh the fact its Sonic 2 Absolute makes me happy for some reason

[@deanmoriarty6015]

“your favorite song probably wasn’t written by the greatest musician ever lived” man, that is a quote that I have never heard before that really is sticking with me. thank you!

[@NeatOnTheRocks]

Well I made it up, so good to know I didn't subconsciously rip anyone off!

[@RndmdudNamepersonWord]

Leon chang is the greatest musician ever (not baised)

[@elvisismysport]

I feel like this is related so i want to share this: I'm in the process of writing my own songs, and I tend to worry about them sounding original enough. Recently, though, I figured out I don't have to worry about originality for three reasons: 1. "There's nothing new under the sun" (which used to send me into an existential crisis about art being "pointless" ngl) 2. People actually want novelty + creativity/soul, not complete originality. Novelty is "new to you," whereas complete originality is a bunch of incomprehensible gobbledygook. Except that incomprehensible gobbledygook already exists. 3. My favorite artists are not even remotely original and I still like them. Another related thing I've always told myself was "Well someone has to like it."

[@TelevisionNTheatre]

​@@elvisismysport Well in all honesty, that last sentence is true. The world is a big place - there will always be an audience that will listen. One just has to look, since it's only over if you decide it so.

[@fishraposo7192]

A quote I saw that I really like, that fits this context is: "Your book is someone else's favorite. Go write it". And it really stuck with me. You don't have to be the best.

[@cifge_404]

I really like this new "movement" of youtubers who just pull up a game, hit screen record, and ramble about something for a few (or a lot of) minutes. I really hope this becomes the norm.

[@cifge_404]

@@GamingtheOtterI do not know who that is lol

[@mayoat.y]

⁠@@cifge_404wait how do you make a KZbin account 7 years ago and never hear of chuggaconroy 😭

[@cifge_404]

@@mayoat.yidk bro I think I'm a bit of an outlier as far as my experience with internet culture goes lol

[@bepis_real]

Around the mid 2010's there was a period on KZbin where many big news channels would do the same thing. LeafyIsHere, Pyrocynical, ReviewTechUSA, so on. Some are still around and make the same videos, just without gameplay now. Difference is those channels mostly talked about drama & current events. This wave of encouraging KZbinrs though, is a lot more refreshing and welcome :)

[@prism182]

cybershell, thesunshinefeeler and pariah695 are peak

[@timdemoss]

My mom told me recently that when we were growing up she tried to make sure she complimented our artwork by saying “Wow, you must have worked really hard on that” instead of “Wow, you’re so talented!” in an effort to compliment the very real effort instead of a magical gift. So: You must have worked really hard on this video!

[@NeatOnTheRocks]

Yknow, I wouldn't say I worked incredibly hard on this one, specifically--but all the work it took to get me to the place where I COULD make this video, that's where my work has been

[@RowdyClouds]

Seriously. I always hated when my mom would say "You're born with a gift." in regard to math or music. Like we're going to completely gloss over the fact I sucked at math or guitar until something finally clicked. Piano was just something that conveniently made more sense until I could actually visualize the pattern of a guitar.

[@ZTRCTGuy]

This is powerful, but the only problem I have with it is that if you say someone is talented, you are automatically implying what they created is of good quality. This is not the case if you praise the effort alone. I think it's imporant to praise both the created thing, and their effort.

[@BigBoyBren2006]

did anyone else read the title as “Tails doesn’t exist” and clicked on this video for some out of pocket theory video? instead i got a pep talk

[@NeatOnTheRocks]

Yes actually, another comment said that 😂 sorry if it made you feel clickbaited, I hope you enjoyed though if you want to think about it: Sonic Origins now implies that the chaos emeralds went to Westside Island after Sonic 1, and Sonic 2 Game Gear is a prequel to Sonic 2, and if you don't get the Chaos Emeralds in that game, it's implied that Tails dies... so in canon, it could be that Tails died in S2GG and has been a figment of Sonic's imagination ever since.

[@chiguirolover77]

@@NeatOnTheRocks he still got the freaky theory

[@mak_707]

Talent exists, it's just not mandatory.

[@NeatOnTheRocks]

Good way to put it

[@lasercraft32]

Oh yeah definitely! My science teacher in high school was GREAT at drawing. He once picked up a dry erase marker and drew a semi-detailed side view of a human face in like 5 seconds. He'd never taken lessons, he'd never put in any effort to practice, he was just good at drawing for no clear reason... But he didn't care to be an artist. He had no interest in it.

[@E2Gtube]

@@lasercraft32you don’t know how he spends his time.

[@lasercraft32]

@@E2Gtube Bruh. I do know, because he LITERALLY TOLD US. That's how I even know he never took lessons. He literally had a whole rant about how he has talent as an artist but doesn't have any interest in it. Imagine trying to tell someone that they don't know someone, when you've never even met the person they're talking about...

[@E2Gtube]

@@lasercraft32 he likely drew in his past or has had some level of interest in art.

[@the_shape2998]

This guy is proof that there is still good and authentic people and things out there, it's euphoric

[@NeatOnTheRocks]

Shout outs to Halloween, best horror series

[@Dancing_Alone_wRentals]

maaaaan....I had gone three days without needing to look up another word. Better change the white board. " 0 days since last vocabulary quiz ".

[@TelevisionNTheatre]

​@@Dancing_Alone_wRentalsHuh, jee. Well, finding out new words can be fun in my biased opinion. And I also hate looking for words, which is probably why I have so many dictionaries.

[@Dancing_Alone_wRentals]

@@TelevisionNTheatre Dictionaries are fun.....Try one of the translator dictionaries where it lists just one or two words. They are good fun

[@OrangeToadGamer]

I read the title as *Tails doesn’t exist* and thought this video would just be a Sonic 2 creepypasta in all seriousness though this is a very inspirational video, hearing about motivation from a perspective that doesn’t come across as cheesy is really refreshing, like you said "You have to *SUCC* before you can *SUCCEED!* "

[@lnspo]

I love actual motivational videos like this instead of the other ones who just make you feel worse about yourself

[@knight_chap]

Oh man! That's freaking true

[@kaxcommentssomethingREAL]

oh yeah! like the "Games aren't fun anymore" type videos or others like it

[@Newibe]

Tbh i hate videos like those and im glad someone feels the same

[@lachaineguitarededavid]

True !!

[@DADA-yt1pt]

​​@@kaxcommentssomethingREAL For videos like those, it's like people are either playing the same games and are afraid to step out of their comfort zone, or are so hyper focused on all of the bad aspects of modern gaming (And I won't deny, there are many. Micro transactions and buggy unfinished games being released are two examples.) that they write pretty much all of modern gaming to be a dumpster fire, when there are games that are made with legitimate care and don't fall into any of the negatives trends of modern gaming. And I'm not just talking about older games or Indie games.

[@aaronlindsey2219]

Jake the Dog once said: “sucking at something is the first step towards being sorta-good at something”

[@lasercraft32]

There is _one_ character that is a good example of what you're trying to say... *Amy.* She started out as just a normal girl who idolized Sonic. She would chase after him but never able to keep up with him. Then when Sonic wasn't around to help, she decided to stick up for her birdie friend and even show compassion for a robot, one of Sonic's assumed enemies. She had no super powers or special abilities, she had to use a hammer to even come close to matching her peers. But NOW look at her. With each new game she appeared in she became faster and faster, until now, where we've reached the point that she can keep up with the likes of Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails.

[@NeatOnTheRocks]

Lots of people reminding me of Amy, proving I really SHOULD have saved this topic for the Sonic CD video 😂

[@nymphia]

@@NeatOnTheRocks Amy and Tails have a lot in common, but you notice as Tails becomes more confident in himself, he stops following Sonic around, whereas Amy does the opposite. Following Sonic around and being able to help him IS Amy's personal fulfillment; meanwhile with Tails, being able to step away from Sonic and do his own thing (and having Sonic come to him) is HIS personal fulfillment. In a way, Sonic has had such a heavy influence on both of them in finding their own personal passions and goals, and honing those goals to then help him out when he needs it. On Amy's end it's not only because of her initial infatuation with the idea of Sonic, but because she now can say "I KNOW Sonic, and I CAN help him", whereas with Tails' end his initial admiration of Sonic evolved past "I NEED Sonic to help me and want me to help him" to "I can help Sonic, and Sonic can help me, but I do not need Sonic's help for everything in my life." I think although you overlooked Amy, mentioning Tails is not bad either -- Tails and Amy are parallel to one another in terms of characterization and abilities, but they both share a lot of similar traits that cause them to orbit around Sonic more significantly than anyone else in the franchise.

[@HobieJaxxn]

i feel like this is healthy positivity as opposed to toxic positivity

[@NeatOnTheRocks]

That's the goal!

[@FindingsOfAnArmouredMind]

lol no, this is in fact pretty toxic, talent is indeed a real thing, there exist people that can perform tasks with far more ease and more efficiently than others. That, of course, does not devalue the efforts of the latter (the ones who struggle and/or put a lot more effort), but trying to dismiss the existence of talented people is toxic and not the way to cope. Everyone should, instead, accept things the way they are.

[@XxDuelsxX]

@@FindingsOfAnArmouredMindyou didn’t watch the video, I assume?

[@SoCalBalloons]

“Talent is what people who show up for one day, use to describe people who show up everyday.”

[@KevinTPLim]

whoa.

[@lasercraft32]

@@KevinTPLim Its a quote from the video dude.

[@KevinTPLim]

@@lasercraft32yeah, it’s a good quote that i hadn’t heard before :) 1:36 for anyone looking for it

[@Teamorson]

This random geezer on KZbin has managed to be more motivatin than any Celebrity, Influencer or Public Speaker I’ve ever seen. Well done lad 👍🏿

[@NeatOnTheRocks]

I'm 26, who you calling geezer? 💀

[@Teamorson]

@@NeatOnTheRocks Who’s to say I wasn’t referrin to Robotnik bein the Geezer in question?

[@Dancing_Alone_wRentals]

@@NeatOnTheRocks woe.....I didn't know early bird discounts and polyester slacks pulled tight above the waste was okay as early as 26 !

[@NotAyoKRob]

came for sonic, stayed for the words of wisdom. Thank you my friend!

[@curtis5799]

This guy. Better speech than the paid motivational ones.

[@Coolguy.399]

"Whether you think you can, or think you can't, you're right." -Henry Ford

[@caveirainvocada9438]

Motivational speak + Sonic gameplay is such a specific thing to do, but hey I love it lol

[@GavinArtster]

I swear this guy will be my new therapist

[@NeatOnTheRocks]

That's beyond my qualifications but hey whatever gets you through the day man

[@lachaineguitarededavid]

You say things-of-interest while playing Sonic on the screen : ARGH I LOVE IT !!

[@yhizz1809]

I was thinking a lot to myself recently about these topics because I had seen someone in a comment section replying to a video on musical prodigies (Domi & JD Beck) and the person was trying to say that "Some people are just talented or special" they were trying to argue that some people are just different and other people cannot achieve the same level in their lifetime which is just completely false. Once I read that comment I instantly realized how much we have become brainwashed to doubt ourselves and not even chase after goals anymore. I feel like one of the points of art is that it is supposed to drive and inspire people to wanna achieve that "prodigy" level ability but instead some people think oppositely because either it is too intimidating or something and then this thinking brainwashes our minds to think that other people are just special and that's that which is just a delusion. Another thing with this thinking is that it makes us more toxic so when someone wants to finally chase that dream other people will knock you down and say things like "You could never achieve that level" or "That artist is too legendary so how dare you compare yourself to them when the work you make is not even close" comments like those miss the entire point of the expression of art because we are supposed to be chasing the most legendary version of ourselves and sometimes other people's art motivates us to do that. Prodigies don't necessarily exist because all you have to do is look at their history and realize some people come from families of big musical backgrounds or whatever it is so my main message here is to not adopt a false mindset and instead always stay open-minded.

[@RoyalStevens]

I agree completely. To use games as a example, I used to suck at TF2. I just thought inherently I wasn't good at point and shoots. Until one day after much much practice, it clicked for me and I was dominating multiple people and team wiping the enemy team. Its all about the time you invest, not your 'innate' skill

[@yhizz1809]

@@RoyalStevens Indeed bro!!! we just gotta practice.

[@MELONALDENTE]

Losing ambition by imagining what it would be like to have done /whatever thing/ is so fucking real.

[@burrmuda848]

Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. I love that! This guy is our biggest hype man

[@the.bloodless.one1312]

The notion of “talent” has always driven me nuts because it devalues the HOURS AND HOURS AND YEARS AND YEARS of very hard work us artists put into developing the skills of our craft. Like I always say, there’s no fairy magic. Art is a skill, and just like a carpenter who puts years of practice and work to become good at what they do, it’s no different for a musician or a painter etc

[@NeatOnTheRocks]

Well said

[@effectinclination3232]

Bro, I love these inspirational sonic commentary videos like the other video you made You should be a KZbinr, I think you should make more of these videos!

[@NeatOnTheRocks]

I will!

[@beefyonyt]

"you HAVE to SUCC" - this guy 😎

[@ameliathecyanhairedgirl]

In order to Succeed

[@Newibe]

😳

[@GlitchyGeek]

"Sucking at something is the first step of being good at something" - Jake the dog

[@Nister.N]

This is some of the most unique sonic content ive seen in a while. Keep going!

[@NeatOnTheRocks]

I appreciate that! Idk if it really counts as Sonic content at this point lmao, I'm just using Sonic as a vehicle to express myself

[@LivingbyHatred]

I'm sort of depressed with the state of my channel. Obviously, I dont have the best editing, i'm not patient with writing scripts and editing videos. And I lost my happiness in making youtube videos with me losing interest and taking long breaks between videos, and this didn't help with the first argument i had with another dude who gained 10k subs in a span of a few months. Then i kept comparing myself to him, saying i would gain to his level by working hard and realising that i can't get to his level with how hard i try I'm distancing myself from the main reason why i was doing this and it is to have fun and get new friends to be with. But in the end, after seeing your other video about youtube, I realise that i should take a break and think about a way to succeed with my hopes and dreams. Thank you for making this video it has helped me for a bit, but I don't know if I would relapse back into this state of doing nothing but other then that I hope you all have a nice day.

[@JohnnyMontilla]

Keep uploading videos! I’m loving them man!

[@mgkrewson]

The idea of ‘having to suck’ reminds me of something Ira Glass (This American Life) said years ago, something to the effect of: when you first start creating, it’s gonna be terrible, and because you have a sense of taste, you’ll KNOW it’s terrible, but the trick is to persevere, because that sense of taste is what makes you good at your craft in the end.

[@SaturnMoth]

"You have to succ before you can succeed" merch when?

[@NeatOnTheRocks]

Funny you say that... neatontherocks-official-merch.creator-spring.com/listing/you-gotta-succ?product=211 This was a catchphrase we had in my stream community way back when, I never did much with this merch store, but it's still there! 😂

[@hydrotwister161]

@@NeatOnTheRocks lol

[@IamJustABee]

An amazing video! Plus the gameplay in the background was pretty entertaining. Still, a very important message overall. You're a very underrated channel, hope you manage to get more attention because you deserve it.

[@NeatOnTheRocks]

Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your support :D

[@farhanyudaputra6422]

This is a fresh take on self-improvement and I love it, and my sub-goldfish attention span had a good time watching the gameplay in the background

[@blachstan456]

ive found your channel through the best time to be a youtuber vid and really enjoy thsi unique style

[@Estrupixel]

Love these videos -and if you stop to think about it, it seems like it’s Sonic himself giving us some lessons, haha!

[@NeatOnTheRocks]

"Fuck you, Tails" -Sonic in this vid

[@DaGreenGh0st]

I love this channel. The nostalgia, the message, and the jokes are brilliant! Underrated af man and the dedication shows!

[@RowdyClouds]

I hate whenever anyone would say I'm talented. No, I'm not. I wasn't born with some innate ability. No one is born an expert. Hard work and introspection to find a new avenue pays off.

[@Brianycus]

Man these videos are always when I need them the most.

[@ChappyMonster]

ANOTHER BANGER GOING IN MY PLAYLIST, i needed a second video in it because the other one was the only one in there… lol… I’ve listened to it like 4 times now and these videos are very motivating for me, seriously

[@penwallace]

I take a while to take in messages sometimes, but for someone who’s been dealing with this more than usually lately I wanna say thanks man.

[@NeatOnTheRocks]

You're welcome!

[@PK_FIRE-pew-pew]

what I took from this was focus on what YOU are good at ,focus on the present and where you are now.

[@BenjaminEwt]

THOSE THUMBNAILS ARE SO FUCKING GOOD

[@NeatOnTheRocks]

Hahaha thanks!! I've been really stepping up my thumby game lately

[@Firelis]

Finally, a video made for me- Nah but really, though, the main point of this video is something I've been saying to some of my friends a lot, partially because I feel I didn't start with the right "cards" to learn modelling, animating, or any of the things I do today, but I did it anyways, and a lot of how I view that is that talent and predispositions aren't the same thing. I have predispositions that would help me with sports activities had I chosen to go for them, but the fact is, while I enjoy some physically demanding activities, they're not where *most* of my passions lie, and the few that remain I end up having compensations for anyways through VR, nowadays. I agree that talent is the thing people say when they don't know what your background in something is, but I think that even when talking about predispositions, your background may matter a lot as well, like how you may have been learning to draw earlier than even you know, heck I started making 3D animations because I played with action figures a lot and I saw a ot of that in 3D art as a kid. Sometimes it's not so much a matter of the actual skill you're trying to develop as it is a matter of how your brain reacts to a thing, or what thing you're practicing in your brain before it becomes physical. I do think though that letting go of dreams isn't something we necessarily need to seek to do right off the bat, though, as it often happens by itself at some point in our life, the acceptance of that step is something we may need to consciously do, but we can't always step back and know in advance all the hurdles that we'll face with what we want to do, there's many other factors that'll lead us to let go of past dreams that'll happen throughout our lives, and I find that, at least in my case, it happened either because : -The circumstances surrounding the dream end up kind of "overpowering" my will to pursue that dream (like, say, if I know how bad life in general will be, and in what way, by pursuing this thing, and I don't feel like I can take that) -The parts I ended up liking about the dream are so small compared to the greater whole that it was best to find an alternative. I think just about every predisposition that isn't physical can be made up for in some way, and when I say physical I mean on a genetic front how your body is built, and even some of those can be made up for later in life. And as for art and creative fields, the predisposition relating to it are 99% guaranteed to be an early childhood habit, or some thought process or activity that you had, and as much as our minds change when we grow older, it's not like that kind of stuff is all of a sudden unavailable. Your habits changed, sure, but that doesn't mean you can't build that same foundation in a way more suited to yourself. When it comes to anything mental, which I think is where I see the idea of talent show up the most, I believe they can all be made up for because, especially when it comes to art/creative fields, we look at the results, not the process, 2 people can make something insanely similar but the process through which they made their works was entirely different because they work better in their own specific ways. Which is another part of why I don't like the idea of talent when applied to art or anything creative in particular, it narrows down both the chances of you being able to do a thing, and also what would be considered the "right way" to do it

[@ogfkite]

You inspire me, Homie. 💎 I’ve been back n forth with pursing my passions & dreams, and got dang, every time I sorta make the choice to not go for it, something pulls me back, like gravity. I feel it’s the love for the ideas, being creative, and what it could looks/sound/feel like. Anyhow, thanks for being you. 💎

[@mocksimtimvids7970]

For what feels like my whole life I’ve always felt behind like everyone is better than everyone is faster stronger smarter even now. My cousin plays volleyball and my dad and all my family support him on it and I do to he’s my favorite cousin but sometimes I just can’t help but feel jealous and mad because I’ve never been good at a sport even golf! I quit golf in my freshman year and it sucked because I wanted to be a good golf player. I just feel like no matter how hard I try everyone is just better than me and there’s nothing I can do to change that and it sucks because my dad told me that he believes I’ll be the most successful person in my family. But this video opened my eyes it made me realize that I can be great just like everyone else and I don’t have to have the title that someone else has I can have a different title a better one and be amazing I don’t have to compare myself to my friends or cousin I can be great in my own different ways and still make my parents proud and my dad will be right about me.

[@micah_raygun_]

Thanks for another great video! Part of it hits very close to home because I want to be a great father, husband, rock climber, calisthenics athlete, employee, writer, and now KZbinr. In my tiny slices of free time I find it very hard to decide to do something productive (writing) or something immediately enjoyable (video games, recording, etc). It's honestly really hard to find where my loyalties lie with my downtime, but at least KZbin has given me a nice group of like minded people to engage with. Keep up the work, seems like your Sonic/philosophy/motivation videos are going places 👍

[@NeatOnTheRocks]

I'm beyond pleased to have made your acquaintance through our videos impacting each other! It's one of the coolest things about KZbin I think I struggle with balancing my different pursuits as well. I've begun thinking of them kind of as different foods: I crave different things on different days, but I try to maintain a balanced diet--and I ALWAYS have to eat! Also, props to you for managing everything with a wife and kid as well--my girlfriend and I are overwhelmed as it is

[@djv0328]

I heard "Talent is what people who show up for one day, use to describe people who show up everyday” and I HAD to pause holy shit dude🤯

[@RoyalStevens]

"And some kids have two tails that allow them to fly" Yeah, thats 100% normal😂

[@jotanuki]

“ Sucking at something is the first step to becoming sorta good at something.“ -Jake the Dog from Adventure Time.

[@imValerium]

Well said dude - I've been thinking for a long while that people have the ability to do near enough anything they truly put their mind to. The main thing holding us back from doing so is that most people either can't be bothered to go through the process of learning it, or they begin, get demotivated and give up. Obviously everyone learns at different rates and some people will be inherently "better" at certain tasks than others, but too many people limit themselves by thinking they can't do certain things, when it reality, they either just don't really want to, or can't be bothered to put in the effort that is required

[@Easmodx]

The stacking abilities metaphor perfectly illustrates your point and I have never seen anyone make that comparison. 10/10 motivational speech.

[@yaethos]

I just wanna hug you right now man Ever since I moved to start uni I've been discovering a whole part of me that just yearns for creating. I regularly create things, either visually or musically, and this whole time I've had a small voice in the back of my head telling me how I should try to monetize all of this. Hearing you talk about it actually gave me more reasons not to fuck my life up trying to get money from this. I've been doing music chasing a videogame composer dream that I don't know if I'll ever reach, but people like you inspire me to just enjoy the creative endeavor as it is, reminding me that everything else is secondary The main thing scaring me is getting into a job and just losing the energy to do creative work in my free time, but I guess I'll burn that bridge when I get to it Thank you again

[@LifeAfterTruthRadio]

Glad to hear some of your points (yet again) match my own experience. I've subconsciously followed the Ludwig model and found that most of the fun I have in my creative activities is had during the learning process & then it spikes after enough development to see a growth in my abilities. Usually after that point, I find another skill I want to learn more than continuing to master the old skill. You could call it seeking more immediate satisfaction, refusal to grind to perfection, or simply a guy slowing learning what he actually does and doesn't want. Great work again, bro. I think people are hungry for grounded enthusiasm & you found a great template. Keep it up 🎉 Also, I was one of the guys who hated math in high school but ate a bunch of mushrooms in college and became a derivative wizard 🧙🏼‍♂️

[@kevinm.5951]

I really enjoyed this video. I'm sort of at the start of this whole "what am i good at, what can I do?" Journey in my lofe later than most people at 24. And I've definitely fallen into the traps of comparing myself to others and idolozing the "talent" people have. How I got to this mindset is because I was born with a visual impairment and I went to an elementary school that hardly believed in us, not only that, barely having the funds to accommodate us properly. By the time I was in high school, I had no confidence in any of my abilities, struggilong academically wasn't helping either. I was just going through the motions, didn't attend college and was sort of in limbo for a while, but now, I'm trying to find out what my limits are and its been tough mentally but i think in the long run, the struggle will mean something...whatever that something may be

[@NeatOnTheRocks]

Hey, 24 is actually not that late in the grand scheme of things to still be at the start of your journey. Many people start even later than that, some REstart later in life, and some never start in the first place

[@thecalvinistkat]

This is a much more inspiring video than pretty much all of the fakey “motivational influencers” out there on the internet. Thanks for keeping it real here! Love listening to you while I draw, both because you speak from a place of wisdom and because it’s hilarious when you utter expletives at Sonic games.

[@alejandroespinosa894]

"Talent is what people who show up for one day describe people who show up every day." and that is just beautiful.

[@RealCxrlos]

thanks man usually i wanted to feel down on myself but someone like you truly understands it and you do a good job at speaking what's on your mind I love that man you don't give up either!

[@Exmotable]

this is one of the only motivational youtube videos that did anything for me, if that makes sense. so often i'll see stuff that's the equivalent of "hang in there!" posters. not to say that there aren't people out there that maybe just need to see one of those to feel better about their life or situation, but they always seem so empty or hollow or whatever to me. like when someone can tell you're sad, and with like full confidence they say "chin up buddy, you're a super fantastic cool person!" and it's like, you have absolutely no way of knowing that, in the slightest. anyway my point is your video seems very well thought out and it genuinely makes me feel a little better. i still have a ton of awful thoughts swirling in my head that i don't really know what to do with, but i feel a little less useless now and i really appreciate it.

[@rianthreeden]

Besides from the speach and things your saying, my favorite part of your videos is that your activity playing sonic while speaking!

[@tangotay.]

its so cool how all of us have different goals in mind but this video can help even with my stop motions

[@grimeyori]

As someone who's standing behind the start line and hesitant as I look at the path before me, this video and the previous have very much so inspired me, and I can see myself revisiting them often as I take the first step and whatever comes beyond.

[@ninables2667]

These videos came to me at a perfect time. I am going to start my KZbin channel soon (its been a dream of mine for a while now) and the Sonic logo helped me click. I just watched to "You should be a KZbinr." and this one just happened to come out on the same day! This really helped me feel more confident about starting, thank you so much for the encouragement

[@ezireblueflame5176]

6:30 If this DnD example is what helps me overcome my depression due to having a lack of talent it’s gonna be the funniest shit ever. I’ll comeback to this comment in a month to let you guys know how I’m doing. (Written at 5/17/2024)

[@LunarMagma]

this video is incredible, it really picked me up after i've been belittling myself for so long thank you so much

[@MugiMikey]

Awesome new video, Neat! You bring up several perspectives I've never really considered before and I appreciate that.

[@ByeByeCoolness]

No comments? I’ll fix that :3

[@MochiiMochaPop]

I know this video is 3 weeks old by the time I’m watching this, but even so. This feels like something I really needed to hear in my younger years, and although maybe I missed out on that opportunity, I’m glad there’ll be others now who get that chance

[@evskyl]

Personally, i was planning on becoming a streamer since a few years now, but one of the biggest things that holds me back is the fact that i just don't have English as my first language, making it so that i'm decouraged from even trying to comment on or about something because of my almost incomprehensible accent/lack of oral vocabulary to make up on the spot. I'm hoping and am certain that it will get better over time as I speak out more and more but I still fear a bit like it's never enough. And after watching these vids on all things creation, I just wanna put a lil thank you out there for how this made me rethink about all this, even by just writing this comment, and even though i'm still not sure if i could pull full on streams off, at least i'm encouraged by your vids to keep goin without caring for a thing and again, thank you for that. I guess to close it out i'll just say see ya when i'm feeling comfortable enough with my voice to hop onto this whole operation

[@MacenW]

I'm thankful your vids are in my recommended. Youre gonna inspire me and I'll point my finger at these videos if they ask what did.

[@Surkk2960]

Good to know talent doesn't exist... that confirms my fears...

[@NeatOnTheRocks]

Don't fear, recognize the power you have over your path!

[@GyreArts]

Talent=affinity of interest Leading to working more and researching a specific subject when younger Basically interest gives you the drive to specialize in something

[@HanLink]

I love this view. Talent can only bring you so far.

[@LF21Hungry]

my god i needed this, i've felt so insecure about making games and mods tonight, thank you very much for this, i might actually be able to sleep tonight hearing this i subbed for this motivation, thank you

[@TheWonderBlueWarrior]

Man these kind of videos started appearing more to me and I love it Back in the day I loved fighting animations but knew I would never be able to animate like that, and thought it was impossible But through the years espeically now, I think of it differently Anything is possible when you put your mind into it, I got better at animating like huge improvements even though I thought that I would never be able to actually make movement with drawings Like, I sucked at animating but now I have improved so much how I see it is that, laziness or when you think how much time will that thing let's say project take, that's when you might lost motivation or just give up, but I think about the part I'm making now and then once I'm finished with it I go to the next I always say this to myself "as long as I know that's it's possible then I'm doing it" And this video is telling more things I wanted to say to myself etc, what a great video, I have enjoyed it Keep it up

[@everchanger23]

Thank you for these couple of vids. I'm in the thick of it rn and at my age the "motivational" shit that used to get me off my ass just started to feel fake and like you said "toxic positivity". This was grounded in reality and really helped me start to look at things from a different perspective. I had completely given up on doing anything creative other than here and there for fun. I always felt like I had to make it my career or don't even try. Now I'm starting to see maybe it doesn't have to be my career but that shouldn't take away my passion for improving and sharing my work. I hope to be able to come back to this vid in a year or two and report that things are going well.

[@Wilfoe]

Heh...I was never able to get past the boss in Chemical Plant Zone the one time I played this game...Used up all my lives just getting that far, then lost the last one right at the start of the fight. I'm good at 3D Sonic, but bad at 2D Sonic. This video went in many directions! You covered something along these lines in the video, but I feel the need to restate it. I would argue that talent does exist. As I understand it, talent is innate ability while skill is learned ability through study and practice. I have a talent for origami. I've made various complicated origami pieces and it's almost never difficult for me. I'm skilled with tennis. Mom signed me up for tennis lessons in middle school and I was pretty bad at it at first, but I got better. I've never been a huge sports person either... On the subject of winning not being everything, there's a quote I like: "Life isn't about finishing first." IQ and school are good examples of your point. I have a very high IQ and I did really well in school (when I was allowed to handle it my way), but IQ tests and grades in school aren't measures of success. They're measures of how well you perform under very specific circumstances. Both are outdated. I had the same thing that you experienced with algebra and calculus happen to me in school. I was good at most subjects, but math and science were my best ones. I loved both of them. It felt more like working on puzzles than doing work. I ran into a bit of a wall with Calculus because it was so much more difficult to find patterns in the equations. I was working on memorizing derivatives through sheer brute force when Mom suddenly decided that 100s were no longer good enough and started screaming at me every night about how I was at risk of flunking out of school...Most of the time, gifted students tend to crash in seventh grade because that's usually when sheer memorization no longer works. I think that encouraging students to do their own research for projects may be helpful in teaching them good study habits. Giving up dreams to be who the world needs you to be...That's not something that has ever sat well with me. I never really accepted needing to give up something you want to do. Maybe put it on hold if you can't do it right away, but just giving up...I'm too foolish for that. Well, this felt like a disjointed comment! Overall, I do agree that too many people aren't confident enough in themselves and that humans are more capable than they give themselves credit for. Personally, I'm not good at giving people confidence, but that seems to be one of your strengths. One of my greatest strengths is giving people hope, which I do believe the world needs more of. Keep up the good work!

[@NeatOnTheRocks]

Well said!

[@bromomentbabyface6804]

Dude I watched that other video last night, shit got me thinking about my life. I've always been a creator, but I've had aspects of it pushed down from trauma and depression and shit, so I tried to turn that into art. I dunno, its hard but I'm trying find my voice again outside of that. I've always wanted to make art my whole life, and its just who I am. This shit be speaking to me right now, gotta say, love your advice and the reach you've had on hundreds of thousands of people now lol. Keep doing your thing and take care

[@lukeskywalkerthe2nd773]

I'm always tormented and contemplating what it means to be "talented". It's something that I'd feel foolish to deny it exists but at the same time I really feel like it's too much of a bad excuse not to dare to do the things you enjoy anyway. It kinda ties into what it also means to be "successful" as well the more I think about it. These concepts of "talent" and "success" are so nebulous to me at times that it feels like they are some of society's indirect ways of preventing people from being more creative and artistic. Yet all the while I'm equally as influenced by these superficial defintions of these terms as much as a lot of people are. It's a never ending battle tbh. But it's nice to hear that there are people like you, Neat, who really do not let the surface level ideas of "talent" get in the way of doing what you love! You are a very inspiring person, man, and i wish ya all the best for your channel! :)

[@Redder_Creeps]

I'm planning to start a channel (this one i'm commenting with right now) that partially focuses on my usual content, aka storytelling and/or memey videos, and on the other half just helping out smaller youtubers who really deserve more recognition. And honestly? I really needed to hear this today. One of my SEVERAL struggles is that i keep looking at some online friends of mine who also run bigger channels: i end up looking at how far they went, then back to my own progress and, while i always felt proud, i partially also felt a bit jealous. Mainly because most of my thoughts were something along the lines of: "How is it so easy for them to do this?" And trust me, at the time i thought it was a legitimate question and to this day, i somewhat still think it is: i don't have an upload schedule and if i have to make a 10+ minutes video, i sweat my ass off for sometimes weeks or even a few months (with decent breaks obviously) to make something i can be proud of, then i look at the channels of my online friends and see that they have an upload schedule with content that takes less time. And if you guessed that my friends' content gets more recognition, you're absolutely spot on. For example: one of my biggest flops was an animation i made around a year ago and i took MONTHS on it to make it look as good as possible, at least to the extent of what i knew about "stopmotion" animation and editing, but its results were... less than stellar. So i guess what i'm asking is: "Am i missing something? Am i doing something wrong here?"

[@Redder_Creeps]

Also, sorry for the long comment. I really needed to vent this out -w- "

[@NeatOnTheRocks]

I get you brother. I've had much younger friends come onto the scene and make waves that at the time I could only dream of. But, after staying friends with them and letting go of that envy, I'm a much stronger person at the other end of it.

[@Redder_Creeps]

@@NeatOnTheRocks I wish i could say the same. I let go of it too, but my channel still needs to get that growth spurt...

[@DADA-yt1pt]

Before, I did legitimately struggle heavily with not comparing myself to others, looking down on myself and underestimating what I can do. Honestly, I still do a bit. Just not nearly as often. It can be hard not to compare yourself to others whenever you work on something, and then it's dismissed in favor of someone else's project, and/or people say that others do a better job than you. But I always try to not let it get to me. Feeling lesser or getting a sense of worthlessness is one of the worst feelings you can have imo. But I realized that I shouldn't focus on that and moreso improve myself. And also not focus on how others view you. But anyway, good video and I'll likely be referring back to a lot of what was said here.

[@ryanmckenzie5918]

I'd mentioned in my last comment that I'd started writing a novel. One of the motivators for me was realizing that I may not be the best writer out there, but I can say with complete modesty and honesty that I'm better than a fair number of successful professional writers I've read, and I have stories to tell. When you want to do something for yourself -- like, be "the best" athlete in your sport -- I feel it can be harder to live up to your own expectations, but when you're doing something for other people, which is really what it means to do something professionally, you just need to create value. You don't need to be Beethoven to make someone laugh, think, or otherwise grow and enjoy themselves.

[@jakobbengtsson1863]

My best friend growing up was incredibly "talented" in drawing, music and other creative endeavors. I always compared myself to him, which stopped me from doing those things, because I would never be as good as him. Looking back now, I remember he told me that when he went to kindergarden, the only thing they did was draw, and he cried everyday because he hated it there. Still, everybody that works with him are astonished by him, so it's not a fair comparison for nobody.

[@czms922]

Talent exist it just shouldn't be used to demean yourself because of your own journey

[@starbutter2730]

Wanted to ty for this. Im someone whos super passionate about drawing and art in general and this really reminds me that I just gotta trust myself and the process and just go for it bc I can do anything. Found your channel recently and Im super grateful bc its given me so much inspiration and life advice so ty again

[@johnpaulrockwoodq.4673]

I think i am in love with the sonic man...💀

[@RetroBusker]

I started piano practically from scratch in 2010 & last year Britians Got Talent ran after me to perform.. always had pasion with making music videos since i was a kid altho practically never touched an instrument until 2010 nd began to get viral on tictok only last year.. iv zero talent, iv to work my ass off and then some to be confident to play infront of people as im introverted as HELL! Talent is real for sure although unfortunatly 99% of the time its just weak minded fat positivity sheep saying it... Also I had health problems in my teens and within 4 months of clean eating nd excersise, had 95% control of my health to this day, which is why i brought up the ignorant recently created 'fat possitivity' culture

[@triledink]

I have played guitar for 15 years and when people are impressed by my skills and want to try to learn but are scared they'll never get good I usually reply with ''You don't get worse the longer you play''. Doing anything for a long time will make you better at it. Obviously there are skills that are harder than other skills, but that doesn't make them impossible to get good at.

[@shelbycountach5002]

Just want to say this and your previous video made someone's day a lot better. Thanks kind stranger on the internet! Take my sub as a humble gesture of gratitude.

[@Racecar564]

I love your content! You really got me thinking with this video, just like the last. This kind of thing is really difficult for me, as when I was growing up, I always looked at others around me and thought there was no way in hell I'd ever be good at anything. I lacked encouragement in my environment, and I still kinda do. And although it's like trying to push a mountain, I've been trying to gradually change my mindset, and I'm at the point I've been practicing drawing art for two years now. Though I don't think it's much, my friends tend to be pretty impressed with it. Regardless of impressions, the fact of the matter is, it's a hell of a lot more than if I never once tried! I'm glad I'm trying, even though it's sure as hell not easy.

[@koubu6841]

Hearing you saying all this right before my examinations tomorrow morning gives me some kind of bliss. Thanks again, and wish me luck...

[@SecretZoneGames]

I really appreciate you making these videos, you speak wonderfully and I love listening to you, so keep up the good work!

[@Axxidous]

So basically talent DOES exist but you’re not useless just cuz you’re not talented. And also practice makes perfect. Which isn’t always true but I mean you will never be good at anything if you don’t true. I don’t agree about the comparing thing tho. That lesson is tried and true for a reason and is in response to those who lower their perspective of themselves by looking at how much better someone else is. And even more so, they’re often comparing what someone else is good at to what they, themselves, are bad at, but aren’t considering that the other person is bad at different things too while themselves are probably good at something someone else isn’t.

[@RaHents]

Watched this and the previous video in their entirety. KZbin recommended them at the right time for me when I was feeling really down about how bad my channel was going lately. Trying to find what kind of content would attract more viewers, should I post more regularly, what trends are up right now, to the point where I kind of forgot to think about what I actually want to do with the channel. Even considered quitting at some point. Then I remembered that the only reason I really did this was that I had some goofy ideas I just wanted to realize and share around regardless of how many views it gets. And I had fun. Now I want to go back to that mindset and seeing seeing your videos having success (in my books the level of engagement and views these videos are getting is a success) I'm feeling more motivated to just try out more creatively open stuff instead of just thinking about views and such. Maybe even trying this style of video. Thank you very much for helping some random dude on the internet, hope you get all the success you deserve. And in terms of shredding on the guitar, if you still feel deep down that you would like to be able to do it and wish to find a way, I might got some advices that could help you 🎸

[@Lord_Ian]

The funny thing about the Jimmy Hendrix example is that he was holding his guitar the "wrong way" and still managed to become a guitar legend.

[@Th3Quiet0nee]

i cant wait for you to go viral, as a 18yr old graduate that finds to find living in this current economy within like 40 days. hearing this commentary means the world to me and its extremely motivating more people need to hear this.

[@ItsAK9]

talent does exist, but what people don't tell you is that it's formed from many other different sources in someone's life. You can be taught to be fundamentally good at a lot of things, it's just not everyone has had that early access to it. And if you didn't have those growing up you just need to grind and create strong fundamentals within yourself.

[@gabrielnavia-d3m]

4:28 damn neat tails didn’t do anything that hard

[@mellowanimations7237]

now THIS is a motivtional peptalk i can get behind. good job sir. also youre good at sonic :D

[@brys.3131]

What an excellent topic, wise and extremely well put. Like many us, I had my own small handful of natural gifts showing up early on, but I was so into myself growing up that I missed the point of hard work most of the time, thinking I had already arrived and it would just all come eventually, that is until I met amazing people with their own natural talents, but who worked their butts off everyday to hone that talent into something greater than themselves. It was their meditation. I felt gratefully humbled seeing my earlier missteps and now find a huge amount of joy in just being where I am at the level I'm at while putting way more effort into daily practice more and more. As anyone knows, the experience is exhilarating. I'm so grateful to realize we all have it already within us to become who we can become whatever that may be and to get to share these wonderful gifts with each other, making and becoming just for the love of it and the devotion of it.

[@3lH4ck3rC0mf0r7]

You know, I remember when I started animating photo slideshows for my family in After Effects. It was the first thing I ever did with After Effects and with keyframe animation in general. In retrospect, it looked like shit. I mean, lol, obviously, right? But I didn't care. Or maybe I should say, I literally didn't know any better. And you know what? That was a blessing. I was in love with what I was doing and thought it was the coolest shit ever. And so I did it again. And again. And again. And I would show _everybody_ each time. I wasn't the sleep-deprived, self-conscious, burnt-out, depressed overgrown plushie that could really use some hugs I am now. And I am aware that it is this exact self-consciousness that stops me from actually improving. I _did_ get better at animation. I don't use those skills often, but they're there. I don't remember sucking at coding, but that's because I'm also a neurodivergent, self-teaching, strongly self-challenging gamer that was put in front of Windows XP Notepad and just happened to find a video on how to make Batch files by chance at a very early age. All my memories of actually learning to code must've been buried along with the years of school bullying. Heck, I kinda half self-taught myself how to read and write by staring at Google Images all day and asking my parents what everything was. I'm the ultimate form of the early 2000s PC/iPad kid. And that's a privilege I was lucky to have, so I am happy to share anything I'm able to. And yet, I can't bring myself to learn assembler, or music, or how to draw, all things I also like, and I also haven't posted much of what I've done online because I am paralyzed by a fear of... shit, I don't even know. But my brain's got hands, so a doomscroller I remain. I've set an alarm to remind myself to rewatch this video every day until it hopefully burns its way through my thick skull, though. Wish me luck.