Many of you may have heard of Malcolm Gladwell. He’s the author of a number of NY Times best sellers such as Blink and The Tipping Point. One of his recent books – Outliers, published in late 2008 contained an in-depth analysis of what it is that makes certain people successful.
One of the most quoted sections of the book notes that successful musicians, artists, businessman, and others who excel in their fields have one thing in common. They have spent 10,000 or more hours honing their craft. This can be confirmed by looking at the biographies of many of the world’s great chess players. While most of us are lucky to carve out an hour or two on a good day to do a little studying on the latest theory, avid players are working at it five or more hours each and every day.
In the world of music, it’s a little known fact that the Beatles were not a highly regarded band during their early days in Liverpool.
But, from 1960 – 1962, they were given the opportunity to go to Hamburg, Germany and play in various nightclubs. In 1960, they stayed in Hamburg for four months and played seven days a week. Their schedule at the Indra Club
required them to play four hours per night on weekdays and six hours per night on weekends.
So, ultimately, talent may be important, but without a lot of hard work, it’s almost impossible to improve and reach your true potential.
Related Articles
- imabonehead: 10,000 Hours To Develop Talent (celestinechua.com)
- What the Beatles Can Teach Us About Starting a Company (softwarebyrob.com)
