Rob Barber

I can count on one hand the number of books I’ve read in one sitting  - one.

Malcomb Gladwell, the author of Outliers, I’m sure will want to add that to his resume.

This isn’t a book review, but I did want to take a moment and reflect on chapter I found particularly interesting relative to finding balance. Since I’m new to blogging, I’m not going to spend much time doing more than recording a few thoughts.

I must confess that I picked up the book because I liked the subtitle, The Story of Success, and what I read inside the jacket. I also knew that his previous two books were pretty good so I thought I would give it a shot over the holidays and see what factors he thinks contribute to a person’s success.

Outliers is written with lots of stories, which is very good for me. By the second chapter titled The 10,000 – Hour Rule, I was hooked. While the concept of “paying your dues” isn’t new, I was completely fascinated with how the 10,000 Hour Rule applied to the Beatles, Bill Joy (The author of UNIX and founder of Sun Microsystems) and Bill Gates.

Where does 10,000 hours come from? According to Gladwell, it’s the magic number of hours of practice to achieve world-class mastery of anything. Neurologist Daniel Levitin says that in study after study of fiction writers, basketball players, concert pianists, master criminals, and composers, to name just a few areas,  it seems that 10,000 hours of “practice” is the amount of time it takes the brain to assimilate all that is necessary to achieve true mastery.

So I’ve been stuck on this all week. I would assume most of us want to achieve mastery in something yet what are we to do? 10,000 hours is a crazy amount of time. It’s ten years! Does that mean I have to settle for pretty good  or not so bad?

As I embark on this journey into the blogosphere I have to wonder: How do you develop mastery of anything without sacrificing everything?

And so my journey begins. Only 9,999.5 hours to go.

Genius is the ability to reduce the complicated to the simple.

-CW Ceran

Before opportunity crowns you with great success, it usually tests your mettle through adversity.

Adversity provides the resistance necessary to develop the strength to overcome great obstacles.

This strength consists of self-confidence, perseverance, and, very importantly, self-knowledge.

For if you do encounter a setback, it is a clue to a personal weakness.

You may have been hasty in judging a competitor, or you may have been too timid in your vision of what needed to be done.

Let adversity be your guide to understanding where you misstepped and which qualities you need to cultivate.

No one rejoices in disappointment, but if you are success-conscious, you can turn the situation into a chance for improving your character, an opportunity you otherwise would have missed.

by Marianne Williamson
from A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

By Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports

Feb 2, 8:06 pm EST

MIAMI – Across America on Wednesday, high school football players will sign letters of intent with various college programs, a memorable day for all. Peyton Manning(notes) vividly recalls signing with Tennessee; Drew Brees(notes) speaks of the excitement of going with Purdue.

Pierre Garcon remembers the day also. Six years ago, national signing day came and went and the now Indianapolis Colts wide receiver didn’t get a single scholarship offer. He was 6-feet tall, with a frame that would eventually carry 210 pounds and legs that could run the 40 in 4.5 seconds or less. And no one wanted him.
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