A talent is irrelevant if a person is not motivated to use it. Motivation may be external (for example, social approval) or internal (satisfaction from a job well-done, for instance). External sources tend to be transient, while internal sources tend to produce more consistent performance.

2. Lack of Impulsive Control

Habitual impulsiveness gets in the way of optimal performance. Some people do not bring their full intellectual resources to bear on a problem but go with the first solution that pops into their heads.

3. Lack of Perserverance and Perseveration

Some people give up too easily, while others are unable to stop even when the quest will clearly be fruitless.

4. Using the Wrong Abilities

People may not be using the right abilities for the tasks in which they are engaged.

5. Inability to Translate Thought Into Action

Some people seem buried in thought. They have good ideas but rarely seem able to do anything about them.

6. Lack of Product Orientation

Some people seem more concerned about the process than the result of the activity.

7. Inability to Complete Task

For some people nothing ever draws to a close. Perhaps it's fear of what they would do next or fear of becoming hopelessly enmeshed in detail.

8. Failure to Intiate

Still others are unwilling or unable to initiate a project. It may be indecision or fear of commitment.

9. Fear of Failure

People may not reach peak performance because they avoid the really important challenges in life.

10. Procrastination

Some people are unable to act without pressure. They may also look for little things to do in order to put off the big ones.

11. Misattribution of Blame

Some people always blame themselves for even the slightest mishap. Some always blame others.

12. Excessive Self-Pity

Some people spend more time feeling sorry for themselves than expending the effort necessary to overcome the problem.

13. Excessive Dependency

Some people expect others to do for them what they ought to be doing themselves.

14. Wallowing in Personal Difficulties

Some people let their personal difficulties interfere grossly with their work. During the course of life, one can expect some real joys and some real sorrows. Maintaining a proper perspective is often difficult.

15. Distractibility and Lack of Concentration

Even some very intelligent people have very short attention spans.

16. Spreading Oneself Too Thin or Too Thick

Undertaking too many activities may result in none being completed on time. Undertaking too few can also result in missed opportunities and reduced levels of accomplishment.

17. Inability to Delay Gratification

Some people reward themselves and are rewarded by others for finishing small tasks, while avoiding bigger tasks that would earn them larger rewards.

18. Inability to See the Forest for the Trees

Some people become obsessed with details and are either unwilling or unable to see or deal with the larger picture in the projects they undertake.

19. Lack of Balance Between Critical, Analytical Thinking and Creative, Synthetic Thinking

It is important for people to learn what kind of thinking is expected of them in each situation.

20. Too Little or Too Much Self-Confidence

Lack of self-confidence can gnaw away at a person's ability to get things done and become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Conversely, individuals with too much self-confidence may not know when to amit they are wrong or in need of self-improvement