I can hear the howls now – I’m so tired of hearing about patience! There’s a reason you hear it; other people have gone through the same thing. It isn’t an exaggeration to say many of us wreaked havoc for years, even decades. To expect the wreckage to be cleared way in a month, a year, or even two years is unrealistic. It’s important to remember that time goes by whether you are changing or not, so may as well change so you can look back in a few years and say, "Wow. I am a different person."
Patience is called a virtue for a reason. Without it, we can rarely accomplish anything substantial in our lives. The big things take work, dedication, and time. No one becomes an accomplished musician by practicing a few times; they practice every day for years. Some of you may have heard about the book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. The book talks about how some people have become exceptional in their field, and what led them there. One element was present for all of them: 10,000 hours.
10,000 hours? That’s a lot of hours! But that is what his research found – most people who become very accomplished and successful got there by dedicating 10,000 hours to the skill or talent, whether it be Bill Gates with computers or The Beatles playing in the basements of pubs.
Now there are some people who seem to exceed with a lot less effort, but they are exceptions. Some people might become accomplished in a lot less than 10,000 hours because of some sort of innate talent, but the number is based on looking at super achievers. I’ve seen some bloggers say things like, the Doors didn’t do 10,000 hours of practice, but can you really compare the success of the Doors to the success of the Beatles? Not very many bands achieved the Beatles success and longevity. There are only a handful of Bill Gates out there.
So, you don’t have to practice 10,000 hours necessarily, but you do have to practice to get good at something, even if that something is living life with balance and joy. It takes patience to practice something for years before it pays off, but isn’t it worth the effort?
No comments:
Post a Comment