I’m a sucker for self help-type books, mostly because they enlighten me to life-altering ideas. Such as this one, the 10,000 hour rule. Personally, I have a whole bunch of folks on my “These people are so dope it blows my mind” list. Being a writer, I look up to some incredible journos and authors and wish I’d been bestowed with a teaspoon of their talents. And often, I use this as an excuse for not pushing myself into new levels of greatness; the fact that I wasn’t “born a writing prodigy”. What is easily forgotten is the fact that I could, you could (using the abovementioned rule) be just as great in any given field. In the book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell points out that everyone we look up to for being an expert in their chosen field have one important thing in common: they’ve spent at least 10,000 hours perfecting and honing their craft.
Yes, Tiger Woods has won countless golfing championships, but, remember, he first picked up a club at the age of two.
I don’t know about you, but this revelation has completely shifted my mindset. If you, say, picked up a harmonica, could you in fact be playing like a pro in 10,000 hours? Yes! Or what if you decided to take up topiary? With all my heart, I believe there’s nothing stopping you from being great at whatever it is you’d like to do.
April
Recent Comments