The 10,000-Hour Rule To

Succeed
Malcolm Gladwell’s ‘Outliers’ can help you unlock the secrets of
deliberate practice, embrace hidden preparation, and rewrite
your path to remarkable success.

Some individuals believe that professionals in their fields have a

natural gift that allows them to take the easy route to success.

In fact, some successful people scarcely had to lift a finger to get to

where they are now, and there is nothing you can do as someone who
did not win the genetic lottery. Right?

How to be the best at what you do?

In his book Outlines, Malcolm Gladwell claims that extraordinary

achievement is impacted by a variety of external conditions and
circumstances, rather than being purely the consequence of inborn
attributes such as intelligence or ambition.

He believes that success is frequently the consequence of a

combination of elements such as cultural background, familial
upbringing, timing, and opportunities.
The “10,000-Hour Rule,” which suggests that it takes around 10,000
hours of dedicated effort to reach proficiency in any profession, is one
of the book’s fundamental themes.

Gladwell demonstrates this concept by exploring the lives of famous

people such as Bill Gates, the Beatles, and professional athletes,
demonstrating how they gained thousands of hours of practice before
achieving extraordinary achievements.

Achievement is talent plus preparation. The

problem with this view is that the closer
psychologists look at the careers of the gifted, the
smaller the role innate talent seems to play and
the bigger role preparation seems to play.

This question boils down to one thing. Being the best at something
only means that you have to be better than everybody else.

How do you do that?

By putting more work in than your “competitors”.

Of course that putting 10,000 hours into anything won’t guarantee

that. It is also the quality of your work and not necessarily the quantity.
It isn’t simple, but it’s certainly much easier and a good encouragement
to think that you can achieve anything with consistent effort.

How this plays out in today’s hustle culture

The 1% better every day.

Credit to Sam T Davies

This concept comes from the book Atomic Habits by James Clear.

It refers to the fact that you don’t need to hustle and work until
exhaustion every day, but instead become better at your craft even by a
small percentage.
Yes, humans aren’t perfect. You might miss one day, there will always
be sick days. On the opposite, there will be days when you feel
energetic and ready to take on the world.

But you need to keep in mind that the bare minimum you can do is 1%.

If you want to achieve that mark of 10,000 you don’t need motivation
or goals set in stone.

You need strong systems that determine you to

work on yourself and on your craft consistently.

Your life is run by systems. And systems are made out of habits. And
you can control your habits. Our brains are wired this way, it is as
natural as a sunset and as fundamental as gravity.

Your only safety net is that as long as you put in the work, you will see
results. The only way failure is possible is if you stop before reaching
your goal.

The Learning Curve

Credit To The Bumpy Learning Curve

Let’s say you start from 0. You decide to take on a new skill that you
want to master.

Let’s break this graph down:

 At first, you learn your first concepts, the fundamentals

and it feels very satisfying. Learning this is easy and you
sort of do the effort effortlessly.

 Now here comes the first bump in your learning

journey. The “This is hard” moment or your first
setback. It is something that you didn’t experience
before and it feels scary to do it, as you don’t have any
previous knowledge on the subject.
Your mental toughness and the ability to push through will come
in clutch for you to continue. Those that want to sail into the
ocean but are afraid of losing sight of the shore won’t get far.

 The second and hardest part will be after you climb the
“ladders” and realize that you still have a lot to do. Up
until now, you are only 30% on your way to mastery.
You got over the beginner and intermediate stages
and you are on your way to the advanced section.

This will be your second mental wall where you will have to find a
strong hammer and push through again. But this time you have a
secret.

If at first you had no idea how to practice this new skill, by now you
should already have some systems in place. What does this mean?

When raw effort and grit fails, consistency takes the lead.

You have to understand that maybe you won’t understand this new
concept today or this week but after a while you will get it. You might
think to yourself that you learned nothing and impostor syndrome will
take place. But you have to realize all of the amazing things you have
done so far and where you stand. After all, you are not at 0 anymore.
  After this encounter your newfound confidence will
propel you to heights you have never dreamed of. You
still have to put in the work, but it will feel much easier.

Learn. Fail. Adapt. Overcome

Overnight Succes

The notion of sudden success has entered our collective consciousness

in a world concerned with rapid gratification and speedy outcomes.

The truth, however, is significantly more quiet. Behind every seemingly

overnight success story is a story. Years of hard work, sacrifice, and
dedication have led to that.

One night success takes several nights

Contrary to popular belief, success does not usually occur overnight.

It’s the consequence of numerous hours, days, and years of careful
practice, unwavering pursuit of mastery, and a resolve to persevere in
the face of setbacks and failures.

The splendor of the ultimate success frequently overshadows this

hidden narrative of struggle and hard work, leading to unrealistic
expectations.
Many famous people who are heralded as instant triumphs spent years
honing their profession, sometimes in obscurity.

If a person's life was a film, we would only see the final result, not the
editing, casting, scriptwriting, and all the necessary tasks that are
required.

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