Outliers Essay
Reading Malcom Gladwell's book Outliers was truly a great experience. There is so much to learn from this book and I personally believe that it holds the real secrets to success. It is packed with simple facts and supporting evidence that clearly explain exactly how to achieve mastery of any skill, and ultimately achieve success with that skill. Gladwell explains that it is not enough to simply be good at something, however his chapter on the 10,000 hour rule really intrigues me and encourages me to actually focus on a certain skill in my life and make a goal to reach 10,000 hours of practise in that skill.
It is difficult for me to say exactly which story in the book speaks most to me. I have a passion for computers and technology, I have been working on them all my life. Thanks to my fathers support and my natural interest in the subject I am undoubtedly on my way to 10,000 hours of practise with computers and technology. Taking that passion into consideration I could easily relate to, and admire, the stories about Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Bill Joy. They spent 10,000 hours on computers long before most people had that opportunity and they achieved greatness. There are always new types of technology on the cutting edge these days and I am at the perfect age and time to take advantage of this. After reading this book I have high hopes that if I find a niche in one of these new developing technologies, and practise, that I too can do great things.
However, I can not definitely say that the stories about the technological super stars are the ones that spoke to me the most. On a more complex level, the comparison between two different types of intelligence really appeals to me. In comparing "analytical intelligence" to "practical intelligence" Gladwell shared stories of the genius Chris Langan, and of Robert Oppenheimer. While Langan is considered by many to be the smartest man in the world, he was never able to make much of himself due to...