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People take the 10,000 hours "rule" entirely too seriously. Gladwell himself admits 10,000 hours is rather arbitrary. The point is still important though, as f
by morgante 10y ago
People take the 10,000 hours "rule" entirely too seriously.
Gladwell himself admits 10,000 hours is rather arbitrary. The point is still important though, as far too many people start a new skill and are disheartened by their lack of ability before putting in serious practice.
It might seem obvious that practice is necessary for most skills, but people forget it all the time. For example, when I'm teaching people programming they're quick to think themselves failures when they see the giant gap between their abilities and my own. What they don't realize is that I've been doing it for over a decade and, in fact, was much worse than them at first. [0]
[0] In fact, I probably only did HTML for my first whole month of "programming." One major advantage of learning things as a kid is that there's no pressure to be good.
- thoman23 10y agoExactly! I grew up thinking school is "my thing" and when I saw people with other skills (music, drawing, acting, cooking, etc.), that must just be "their thing". Yes, people have natural strengths and aptitudes, and there are some things that I know I'm just not inclined for, but it is a very empowering feeling to believe that I can choose to dedicate my time to learning a new skill and become proficient at it. At the same time, the "rule" also should tell you that each new skill you pursue has a serious opportunity cost, so choose carefully!
- JoeAltmaier 10y agoWell sort of. What's the opportunity cost of doing nothing? That's what most of us end up doing.