1. For many people, ability refers to intellectual competence, so they want everything they do to reflect how smart they are—writing a brilliant legal brief, getting the highest grade on a test, writing elegant computer code, saying something exceptionally wise or witty in a conversation. 2. You could also define ability in terms of a particular skill or talent, such as how well one plays the piano, learns a language, or serves a tennis ball. 3. Some people focus on their ability to be attractive, entertaining, up on the latest trends, or to have the newest gadgets. 4. However ability may be defined, a problem occurs when it is the sole determinant of one's self-worth. 5. The performance becomes the only measure of the person; nothing else is taken into account. 6. An outstanding performance means an outstanding person; an average performance means an average person. Period.