Saturday, January 30, 2016
Outliers
In chapter 2 "The 10,000- Hour Rule", I found it interesting how almost everyone who has reached success had been working for at least 10,000 hours. The chapter focuses on how those who are most successful generally study or work for 10,000 hours or more. I just found this really surprising because when I think of success I don't tend to think about the amount of time they put into their work, sure, they work a lot but working for 10,000 hours never crossed my mind. Also the chart in part 6 of chapter 2 shows the wealthiest people in all of history. This chart shows how wealthy people were but it also shows where they came from and what's most surprising is that 14 of them come from the United States. This isn't the only shocking part, but what's even more shocking is that these 14 people were all born around the same time, from 1831-1840. These people all had the luck of being born around the time that the American economy was facing its greatest boom yet. If t wasn't for them being born around this time, would they still be able to become as wealthy as they did? It might be highly unlikely, just like Gladwell states, "If you were born in the late 1840s you missed it. You were too young to take advantage of that moment. If you were born in the 1820s you were too old: your mind-set was shaped by the pre-Civil War paradigm," (pg 62). All of this makes me wonder if the same will happen for our generation, or if it's already too late, especially since those born in the 1950s have already found success. This just adds to the stress that teenagers already feel, 'will I be successful?' and 'how can I make sure that I will be able to live a comfortable life?'. Seeing previous generations become successful gives us hope, but there is always going to be those who aren't as successful as others and Outliers allows us to see that.
-Ashley M.
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I agree with your connection Ashley. As I read through this chapter I wondered whether I would be successful and I wondered if I was taking advantage of the opportunities that are granted to me, since the opportunities a person has throughout their life time contributes to their success. I believe that your point also ties in with my post, since Glaswell mentions that the mind-set of the people born in the 1820s was shaped by the "pre-Civil War paradigm." This, to me, means that historic events affect our lives in multiple ways.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of you, as Ashley has emphasized that some generations will see success and others won't. The book explains how one's fortune could ultimately shape your life. It's crazy to think that being born a different generation could have given you a better life. Everyone is told to believe that no matter the circumstances, everyone can be successful, but Outliers has shown this as a bleak possibility.I now realize that our life is indeed fate, we cannot control it, but efforts can be made to monitor it to a desirable outcome.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all of you. When I was reading the book, the same thoughts came across my mind. In the part that Ashley quoted I recall wondering if our generation was born at the "correct" time. I found it kind of scary how when we were born can determine our fate. It also made me think that if we were born in the wrong time then no amount of effort we put in can make us as successful as we want to be, if so, is there nothing we can do? In that case will the 10,000 rule not work?
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