We are what we do...

We are what we repeatedly do;
excellence, then, is not an act
but a habit.

— Aristotle

Malcolm Gladwell (Outliers) contends that early access to getting 10,000 hours of “deliberate practice” are needed to become world-class in any field. A new Princeton study suggests that practice accounts for a lower percent difference in performance than originally thought, particularly depending on the domain:

* Games: 21%
* Music: 18% (Sex Pistols took the world by storm even though Sid Vicious could barely play his bass)
* Education: 4%
* Professions: 1%

Frans Johansson argues that deliberate practice is only a predictor of success in fields that have stable structures; tennis, chess, classical music (where the rules never change). In summary, mastery is more than a matter of practice.

Intuitively, I think we may know this. From K-12 we are measured against our peers and we see pure talent along the way and we see the passionate hard workers. I saw a new drummer in the band struggle at first, and then every time I walked past the practice room he was sweating with intensity. I mean every single time I passed. He is now a professional musician for a leading orchestra. A young man I know won a prestigious race in middle school and never ran again. He could run like he wind, but hated track and field. A talented young baseball player I know spent most of his free time growing up becoming a top pitching prospect, but as soon as he made the college team of his choice, he quit. Turned out, it was his Dad’s dream, not his. He’s more interested in the arts, depth and meaning. The take away for me is desire and passion. If our heart’s not in it, all the practice and talent is irrelevant. Just sayin’ :) Hugs. XO

Blessings,

Chatgirl