In a way, this is the Age of Superstars. Television channels are vying with one another to produce superstars. There is a mad rush to compete and become superstars winning expensive rewards and wide publicity. Today, we watch mothers dancing with their daughters in order to become superstars. Sometimes we wonder whether there is a foolproof formula to be a superstar or whether everything depends on luck. It seems that more and more parents are trying to raise superstars in different fields of activity.
A new study has revealed the heartening news that parents can raise their children to rise higher, live better and shine brightly. However, individual talent has always been a mystery. Even the great physicist Albert Einstein’s parents would not have known from where their son got his talents. Benjamin Bloom, a celebrated educational researcher and his dedicated team at the University of Chicago did a five-year study of 120 superstars. They included Olympic swimmers, tennis players, concert pianists, sculptors, mathematicians, and scientists. They were the best and the brightest in their respective fields. The researchers found to their surprise that superstars are not born but brought up that way. Most of them were ordinary children who did not show any signs of becoming superstars in their adulthood.
What is talent? Can it be measured by giving an I.Q. test? These are some of the vexed questions we face. Bloom says under the right conditions children can learn anything. According to him, human potential is much greater than we can measure in I.Q. or aptitude tests. However, most children do not try to be superstars nor do their parents make any attempt to make their children superstars. Whatever Blooms says, children have different levels of abilities. Some children cannot be educated however much you try.
Right conditions
Bloom believes there should be right conditions for any child to prosper in life. In his book ‘Developing talent in young people’ he presents some evidence that parents and teachers have a role to play in this matter. To justify his theory he and his team of researchers interviewed people under 35 to get their views. They found some startling evidence to prove that there were similarities. For instance, those who became superstars in their adult life had a strong influence from their parents.
Today you can see parents pushing their very young children into tuition classes thinking that they would be superstars in society.
This type of pushing their children hard may not produce the desired results. Bloom says parents should do what is good for their children without being a burden on them.
There seem to be subtle ways of influencing children to become superstars. One way is to expose them to situations where they can pick up some knowledge of successful people. If you take your child to an international book exhibition, he is sure to fall in love with books. Similarly, if you take the child to an artist’s studio, he will learn how to appreciate art. Sometimes he may even become a well-known artist in later life. I know of a parent who took his son to art exhibitions regularly. Subsequently, the son became an eminent artist.
Basic foundation
The simple truth is that when parents enjoy visiting art galleries or book exhibitions, children would also appreciate such activities. This is the basic foundation for any child to build his career. There was a child who grew up in a house full of musical instruments. His parents were musicians and singers.
The child also learned to play various instruments and later became a musician. If there is music in a home, the child will not necessarily become a musician or singer. However, if there is no music in a home, the child would never become a musician!
There are child prodigies who display their talents at an early age. However, even they need encouragement from parents and teachers. Albert Einstein was not a bright child but he had the potential to become an eminent physicist in later life. Even great mathematicians had learning difficulties when they were in school. They however picked up the subject and mastered it. This shows that even child prodigies need alert and caring parents.
Intelligent parents spot the talents in their children quite early and prepare a suitable environment for them to grow. If you see a child banging on the piano, do not try to stop him. That may be the first lesson he is learning. If a child loves music, art, or any other subject, you have only to encourage him. There is a possibility that the child would be a superstar in time to come. When parents praise their children’s acts, they respond in a positive way.
Hard work
Success will not come to anybody overnight. You have to plod on to achieve your target. If you ask a superstar how he came to that position, he will tell you that success did not come easily. You need to put in hard work for a very long period in order to shine in your field of activity.
A young journalist asked me how she could become a competent feature writer. I told her it takes a long time and dedication. First you have to write compositions, essays and then try to write full-length features. This cannot be done in a week, month or year. Everything depends on your enthusiasm and dedication. Without writing you cannot become a writer. Without stepping into a river or swimming pool, you cannot become a swimmer.
The first step to be a superstar is to fall in love with your chosen pursuit. Then you have to learn the techniques, and develop your own style. As Pandit Amaradeva said, “You need to practise music for a very long time to be a musician or a singer.” Most media-produced superstars do not last long as they have never practised what they desired to do in life.
As a famous ancient proverb says, ‘Practice makes you perfect’.