Geniuses and professionals are not born, but become! Composers, basketball players, writers, skaters, pianists, chess players and even hardened criminals.
An interesting theory about why geniuses are not born, but become, was published in his book "Geniuses and Outsiders" by journalist and sociologist Malcolm Gladwell. Building on the work of psychologist Anders Eriksonon, he studied the success stories of many legendary individuals and companies, resulting in the 10,000 Hours Rule.
From the book: “Regardless of the field, it takes 10,000 hours of practice to achieve a skill level commensurate with being a world-class expert. In studies that have focused on composers, basketball players, writers, skaters, pianists, chess players, hardened criminals, and so on, this number meets with surprising regularity. 10,000 hours is equivalent to approximately 3 hours of practice a day, or 20 hours a week for 10 years. This, of course, does not explain why some people benefit more from classes than others. But so far no one has come across a case when the highest level of skill was achieved in less time. One gets the impression that this is how long it takes for the brain to assimilate all the necessary information."
The successes of Mozart, The Beatles, Bill Gates, Bobby Fischer and others are given as examples:
• The first concerto, considered great, Mozart wrote completely independently (without the help of his father) at the age of 21. By this time, Mozart had been composing music for ten years.
• It also takes about ten years to become a grandmaster. Only the legendary Bobby Fischer came to this honorary title faster: it took him nine years.
• Bill Gates estimated to have spent about 10,000 hours programming on a computer, after which he was able to make a significant leap forward.
• The Beatles arrived in the United States in February 1964, initiating the "British invasion" of the American music scene and producing a series of hits that changed the sound of popular music. It took ten years from the day the band was founded to the recording of such illustrious albums as Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Orchestra and The White Album.
Thus, Malcolm Gladwell argues that the key factor for success is not so much innate talent or high IQ of a person, as persistent pursuit of what he loves for a long time. The environment also plays an important role. Neither great scientists, nor famous musicians, nor professional athletes are able to achieve success alone or without money at all.
One important clarification: you need to spend time not on studying the activity, but on the practical side of the matter. And yet, only persistent training with increasingly difficult tasks gives the effect. Otherwise, you risk getting stuck at the same level.
So 10,000 hours or 5 years of full time work is the magic number of the greatest craftsmanship. Believe it or not, check this rule out on your own experience.
