Achievement is talent plus preparation

Reflection On 6 Powerpoint Materials.

Chapter 2

Is there such a thing as innate talent? P. 38

Yes

“Achievement is talent plus preparation.” p. 38

“The problem with this view is that the closer psychologists look at the careers of the gifted, the smaller role innate talent seems to play and the bigger role preparation seems to play.” p. 38

In a study of musicians: students needed enough talent to get into a top music school.

But once a student is admitted, “the thing that distinguishes one performer from another is how hard he or she works.” p. 39

Successful people need to spend a lot of time practicing in their field.

It takes about 10,000 hours or 10 years (1,000 hours/year) to really become an expert in your field.

“In study after study, of composers, basketball players, fiction writers, ice skaters, concert pianists, chess players, master criminals, and what have you, this number comes up again and again.” p. 40

“Ten thousand hours is the magic number of greatness.” p. 41

You need the opportunity to be able to spend 10,000 hours practicing in your field.

“You have to have parents who encourage and support you. You can’t be poor, because if you have to hold down a part-time job on the side to help make ends meet, there won’t be time left in the day to practice enough. In fact, most people can reach that number only if they get into some kind of special program – like a hockey all-star squad – or if they get some kind of extraordinary opportunity that gives them a chance to put in those hours.” p. 42

Bill Joy

An outlier who co-founded Sun Mirosystems “one of the most critical players in the computer revolution.” p. 37

“He has talent by the truckload.” p. 43

But he was given the opportunity to develop his programming talent on the computer because he attended the University of Michigan in 1971 – a unique school which had a Computer Center open 24 hours where Bill Joy could practice all night.

“Bill Joy was brilliant. He wanted to learn. That was a big part of it. But before he could become an expert, someone had to give him the opportunity to learn how to be an expert.” p. 46

The Beatles

In 1960 they were given the opportunity to play in clubs in Hamburg, Germany.

These clubs required the Beatles to play long hours every night.

“By the time they had their first burst of success in 1964, in fact, they had performed live an estimated twelve hundred times.” p. 50

All that onstage practice together set the Beatles apart from other bands.

Bill Gates

Father of a wealthy lawyer & mother daughter of wealthy banker

Parents took their son out of public school to enroll him in an elite private school that started a computer club (supported by parent’s money). The club had computers connected to a mainframe computer.

“From that moment forward, Gates lived in the computer room.” p. 51

“By the time Gates dropped out of Harvard after his sophomore year to try his hand at his own software company, he’d been programming practically nonstop for seven consecutive years. He was way past ten thousand hours.” p. 54-55

“If we put the stories of hockey players and the Beatles and Bill Joy and Bill Gates together, I think we get a more complete picture of the path to success. Joy and Gates and the Beatles are all undeniably talented… But what truly distinguished their histories is not their extraordinary talent but their extraordinary opportunities.” p. 55 They all had opportunities to practice a lot 10,000 hours in their field.

Born at the right time

The most important date in the personal computer revolution: Jan. 1975 (when the first personal computer Altair 8800 came to market)

“The perfect age to be in 1975…is old enough to be a part of the coming revolution but not so old that you missed it…twenty or twenty-one…born in 1954 or 1955.” p. 65

Bill Gates born 1955, Paul Allen 1953, Steve Ballmer 1956, Steve Jobs 1955, Eric Schmidt 1955, Bill Joy 1954

Questions

Is there something that you think you have talent in?

Is it something you are willing to put 10,000 hours of practice into or do you prefer to just be good enough to enjoy it, more like a hobby to do in your spare time?

To be happy in life, we need to spend the most time on things (and people) we enjoy. What are the top 3 or 5 things that you want to spend the most time on?