The Multiplication Problem
Talent multiplies options; wisdom eliminates them.
The gifted face a cruel paradox: their very capability becomes their cage. Where others see clear paths forward, the talented see infinite branches, each promising success, each demanding sacrifice of the others.
The mediocre are blessed with obvious choices.
The brilliant are cursed with boundless possibility. They scatter their gifts across a dozen pursuits, believing more doors mean more destinations, until they discover that the person who can do anything often achieves nothing.
True mastery demands the courage to close doors permanently—not because you cannot walk through them, but because walking through all of them leads nowhere. The highest expression of talent is not its multiplication, but its ruthless concentration.