Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell[1] It made me realize that the people who exceed in some field aren't only smart: they also rely a lot on their experiences. For e

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell[1] It made me realize that the people who exceed in some field aren't only smart: they also rely a lot on their experiences. For example, most hockey players are born in the first part of the year. Why? The deadline for young hockey leagues is January 1st. Or take Bill Gates. His mom started a programming club for his school, back before computers were easily accessible, meaning he had programmed a ton by college. Or take the Beatles. In their early years, before they were famous, they played daily 8 hour shows. I've found other people like this: Bode Miller (a great skier) had parents that owned a ski hill, and lived at the area. He grew up on skis. Malcolm Gladwell mentions a "10,000 Hour Rule." Once you do something for 10,000 hours, you're an expert at it. You see this even in college classes: students who don't try don't do well. Students who do try get good grades. So when people say, "Oh, you're so smart!", I replace it with, "You've had the experiences you need." Yes, you do need to be smart, but that's not where the base comes from. [1]:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outliers_(book) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outliers_(book)