"The emerging picture from such studies is that ten thousand hours of practice is required to achieve the level of mastery associated with being a world-class expert-in anything"(pg.40)
In this chapter Gladwell takes the phrase "practice makes perfect" to a whole new meaning. He uncovers the secrets behind the success of people like Mozart and the Beatles. Oddly enough they each had 10,000 hours of practice, if not more, to become the legends they are now. I was just amazed when reading this chapter. The break down of how people usually achieve the 10,000 hours all come down to commitment. Its also important to have the support of family behind you because at some point practice is the only thing in your life. Knowing this rule now, I am trying to test the difficulty by adopting a new hobby to see how many hours I can get in before I quit completely.
I chose this point because our generation today look at legends and wonder how they became who the are. The one part we always neglect is there commitment and practice. It is just amazing to see how a matter of hours determine your greatness in just about anything.
Comment: Overall, I find Malcolm Gladwell's book to be very intriguing. With every page I read, I fall in love with his writing. The simplicity of his words help me understand every secret he uncovers. From the first chapter I read about the Roseto Mystery, I knew this book would be compelling. I hope to read more of his books.
Question: Did you guys come to any realizations when reading this chapter? Are you more willing or less likely to try something new?
I came to the realization that there's more to success than just being seen as successful, as a lot of hard work goes into getting the success you want. We usually see celebrities or artists and think their talent is innate and that we're not capable of what they do because of this extreme idolization. I think what the 10,000 hour rule is saying is to not overwhelm yourself with 10,000 hours but to do what you love really, because it'll stop feeling like a deadline to meet and feel more natural when you do something you're passionate about. It kinda encouraged me to get back into my hobbies and manage my time better to be honest.
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ReplyDeleteI just think to myself that I am going to have to spend 10,000hours in order to perfect a skill that I have yet to become aware of. That sounds like a lot of hours that I have less to spend considering that college is coming and jobs and just adult hood in general. It depresses me..... It's just a lot that a person will have to be willing to deal with.
ReplyDeletePrior to this book, I was already aware of the 10,000 hour rule. When reading this book, however, I thought of how this rule can connect to the educational system. If it takes 10,000 hours for a person to master something, then why are we taking exams prior to completing 10,000 hours of practice? Exams are meant to show others our level of mastery, but if we haven't had enough practice then what can we show? In that case don't exams actually measure how far we are from reaching mastery in that subject?
ReplyDeleteJennifer I do agree with the point that exams are meant to show others our level our mastery. We don't spend 10,000 hrs on studying for these exams we spent much more than that so does that mean we are not successful? Well in what he's saying we aren't, but we try to be the best in order to be successful which is fascinating.
ReplyDeleteJennifer I do agree with the point that exams are meant to show others our level our mastery. We don't spend 10,000 hrs on studying for these exams we spent much more than that so does that mean we are not successful? Well in what he's saying we aren't, but we try to be the best in order to be successful which is fascinating.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Tracy, that the way that book is written makes it all the more better. Prior to reading your post I couldn't pinpoint what it was about the book that made it so interesting and made me want to continue reading. Now, I realize that it's the way that Gladwell wrote it. The language is simple yet he still manages to get these big points across. When I read it it feels like he's just sharing this information with me casually (for lack of a better word). It feels like just a normal conversation on something relevant that I would have. It doesn't confuse me which I realize now is why I love it.
ReplyDeleteAna, I agree with you in that 10,000 hours of practice will take a lot of time away from other things that are also as important. 10,000 seems like an incredible amount of time but I feel like maybe if you are passionate about a certain hobby or a certain sport, you wouldn't even realize that all that time went by. Maybe it wouldn't feel like so much because you are so passionate about that certain thing and as they say, "time flies when you're having fun." I also agree with Jennifer in that we are being tested so much and we don't even have 10,000 hours of practice. I feel like exams do actually measure how far we are from reaching mastery in that subject.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that 10,000 is very long to master something. You can take 20 years to complete this-as long as you have some motivation and have a big enough commitment to what you are doing, which is what Anita also said. I agree with Tracy and Melissa too. Gladwell has a very strong command of language. His writing is so effortlessly done, which is why he does not need big, sophisticated words to make it "dazzle". I think this is why i enjoyed the book so much (modern English is great).
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