Yeah but a lot of what you think of when you think DaVinci never really got past the idea state.

Hah. Da Vinci was a time traveler though. Unfair advantage.

That's like saying that somebody should be pretty good at physics because Einstein was. Juggling lots of ideas at once was pretty much Leonardo da Vinci's thing.

Discouraging people from having confidence in themselves (even when that confidence is unrealistic) is one of the biggest tragedies brought about by modern-day mediums such as HN et al.

I'd rather strike out a dozen times than watch from the stands.