I received a lot of books as gifts for my recent 27th birthday. One of the more interesting ones is the latest masterpiece of Tipping Point author, Malcolm Gladwell – Outliers. In this book, he writes about how the environment, circumstance, and efforts of individuals play key factors for the level of achievement and success they reach in life. He goes on to explain that one of the key elements for success is the amount of hours put into practice or learning. Based on several studies, it takes around 10,000 hours before a person can master a particular skill. Gladwell cites several examples that really makes a good case. For example, did you know that before the Beetles became famous, they spent years doing the rounds in various clubs in Germany?
Successful people pay their dues… the question is have you started paying yours? If your lifetime dream is to become an artist, how many hours have you spent actually drawing? Or is it all in your mind? This concept reminds me of my earlier post, Asleep at Wheel, wherein I talked about how critical it is for a person to really plan his or her life in advance. Not planning and setting goals for yourself is a clueless way to live life.
So… let’s go back to the question. 10,000 hours to be a master at something. How many hours have you spent on whatever it is you plan on doing for the rest of your life?
Check out Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers in your favorite bookstore. I’m pretty sure I saw this book on National.
Top 1 Non-Fiction book in National right now.
One of my favorite books.
although gladwell isn’t the most scientific thinker around, his theses are always interesting. i’m working on the 10,000 hours…
I like this book as well especially the chapter on “concerted cultivation” as a parenting style. Although I just had to supress a smile when I read the last part – Gladwell included himself (and his family) as a/an “outlier/s.” My husband read this too and like you, what stuck with him is the 10,000-hour minimum for being a master at anything.
I’m currently reading this book too! I’m learning a lot.
I just finished the book a few hours ago. Really nice read though some parts were boring. Over-all a good addition to his previous works – Tipping Point and Blink.