If you have read Outliers

[PhotoGal]

how do you not feel pressured to help your kids get their 10,000 hours in?

 

I am totally not a "tiger mom" type. Yet I couldn't help but be swayed by the concept of 10,000 hours of dedicated practice. Do I encourage my kids to put more hours in on their interests? Obviously they are young right now, but I am just thinking forward. My other half says that it really has to be their initiative. Then again, around here it seems like if you don't start early and start with a lot of "oomph," kids can't even play in the local little league because other kids have been in it since age 2 and get up at 4am every day to practice (exaggerating! But you get the idea).

 

Anyway, how do you resist the temptation to go for those 10,000 hours?

[Sara in AZ]

Oh man, when my husband read that book he compiled a spreadsheet that showed my daughter how much violin practice she would have to do at each age to reach 10,000. Luckily, he reads a lot and moved on to the next theory pretty quick before she got stuck with it. ;)

[Rosy]

I'm not a tiger mom either. :) I see it as my job to identify and nurture interests. They won't get 10,000 hours in any area while they're at home, but they might get the first 3,000-5,000. More importantly, they'll (hopefully) be equipped to do what they want, whether it's becoming an "outlier" or being knowledgeable about many things.

[PhotoGal]

Oh man, when my husband read that book he compiled a spreadsheet that showed my daughter how much violin practice she would have to do at each age to reach 10,000. Luckily, he reads a lot and moved on to the next theory pretty quick before she got stuck with it. ;)

 

LOL! Closing Excel... :lol:

[justkeepswimming]

Well, I've LOST 10,000 hours of sleep after reading that book - brainstorming about it. Then, I came to the realization that they might spend 10,000 hours, but what if those hours weren't in the perfect-time-placement area of interest (remember the story in the book -- something about the guy whose dad could barely pay his bills, but when the son went in to a similar line or work/interest, he was exceedingly wealthy? All because of the timing?)

 

So, I gave up. My goal is to keep them aiming high and developing a more "dedicated/aimed" focus as they grow up.

 

But, man, I still lose sleep over that book. :D

[Kirch]

There are plenty of people who succeed in the world without becoming top experts or "the best" in their fields. If everything comes together for my child to reach that level--including *self* mostivation/drive--then that's great. But my goal isn't to raise the next violin virtuoso, billionaire computer genius, or sports star. My goal is to raise happy, well-adjusted adults who follow Christ and are able to support themselves and their families.

 

One thing I did notice about those examples (it's been a while since I read it, so I mightnot remember everything) is that in almost every case, those 10,000 hours came from the individual pursuing his or her passion, not from a mom or dad sitting a child/teen down and forcing them to dedicate that time (at least not beyond the initial stages). While you can certainly encourage and help your child's interests blossom, you can't force your kid to have a passion.

[Negin]

I've read that book two or three times. The first time, I loved it. Malcolm Gladwell is a fabulous writer and makes some very convincing arguments. After the 2nd and 3rd times, however, I got more upset by it. I regret telling others about it. It just makes me want to :banghead: if you KWIM.

 

Luckily, he reads a lot and moved on to the next theory pretty quick

:D

 

This blog is by one of my dearest online friends - a former homeschooling mom.

 

[elegantlion]

 

One thing I did notice about those examples (it's been a while since I read it, so I mightnot remember everything) is that in almost every case, those 10,000 hours came from the individual pursuing his or her passion, not from a mom or dad sitting a child/teen down and forcing them to dedicate that time (at least not beyond the initial stages). While you can certainly encourage and help your child's interests blossom, you can't force your kid to have a passion.

 

I was not a huge fan of the book, it pushed some buttons, but it also presented some useful (for me) information.

 

The 10k hour approach was applicable to me as an aspiring writer. By the time ds graduates I'll be close to 10k hours in my pursuit of being a writer. I started seriously again in Nov 2007. It's 3 am, I'm not doing the math again, but it's close.

 

As for a child, this is how it has played out in our house. At age 7 ds told me he wanted to fly jets and land on aircraft carriers. I gulped, but I used to work with someone who did that, so I sat down and said okay, let explore that interest. It twisted, morphed, twisted, turned upside down, landed on his desire to be a poker playing, movie making person who flies jets. Then it twisted again <--these were all interests he was allowed to pursue in his free time with encouragement. He watched hours of the World Series of Poker at about age 9. He bought DVDs. Saved his money and bought real poker chips, and could whip my butt at Texas Hold 'em.

 

Fast forward a few years later, still likes all those things. Has given up the idea of flying jets and wants to pursue computer programming. Because of his previous interests he has his own computer, has built a trust with us about using it, and explores. He find videos online on his own, again it took us a few years to get the trust built to allow him freedom. He gets books from my sister and has a hand me down laptop that he has modified for his own use.

 

An offshoot is in passion in real language, anything but English and French. :lol: He's writing an alphabet in his spare time and wants to build a language. I have an SD card in my computer right now of his latest programming creation.

 

The programming interest grew out of those initial conversations when he was 7. Because this is now something he might want to pursue career wise and he's not into sports or music or theater, we guard that free time like you would for an athlete or musician. Also, because of the way we structure our schooling, he may be close to 10k hours of exploration and practice in programming if he stays on the programming path. If he doesn't, I believe whatever he moves to next will be built upon the foundation of what he's already doing. That might reset his "hours", but he'll be in a better position to make those productive hours.

 

All this to say, the 10k hours doesn't have to be in a sport or instrument or some organized activity. I also didn't expect him to stop changing plans when he talked about being a jet pilot at age 7. Yet, because I believed it was important to HIM, I gave him the tools to explore. Interests need time to germinate and explore. Some kids find that one passion at an early age, some kids need time to try something, diversify it into something else, and so on before they find that one thing.

 

Instead of worrying about the 10k hours, I would start by really listening to your kids and paying attention to the path THEY want to start.

[Kirch]

Paula, I think that's a great example. You're listening to your child, equipping him to follow *his* passion, and you're not freaking out if he changes his mind.

[TravelingChris]

It would have been futile for me to insist on any one of my kids doing anything for 10,000 hours or anything approaching that. Not a one of my kids is doing or planning on doing anything they professed such interest in at young childhood. None have rejected their interests but all have chosen to pursue other careers and talents. Only my oldest kid's talents were obvious at a young age. My second has talents in leadership and writing and research and also music- not anything she was doing at five except for the music which she has decided to do as a hobby. My third is an inventor/fixer/engineering type of kid- again, she hid that at a young age and claimed she wanted to be a children's librarian.

[Joyofsixreboot]

I read the book and liked it but felt no compulsion to change my or my kids lives. I guess we aren't competitive enough. I sort of figure it needs to be self-generated or it won't have an effect anyway.

[laughing lioness]

If you take it seriously, think of it as a life goal, not a childhood goal.

Sure, I want my kids to excel in life. But life includes a lot of things besides just getting to expert status in an area.

[brownie]

They will spend 10,000 hours in school :) I'm sure my kids are approaching 10,000 hours reading! Most kids won't follow an artistic passion or athletic passion into adulthood. But I do point out to my kids that it is all about practice, not natural ability at some point. You want to be good? Practice harder!

 

Disclaimer: I haven't read the book but we have heard Ed Zaccaro speak on the subject.

[fourisenough]

I guess we're walking the 10k hours path with our kids' competitive swimming. We didn't set out to do this, but with a big family, it has just worked best for them to all be involved in the same sport. They're good at it, we're part of a great team (community) that requires a lot of parent volunteerism, and we all see the potential benefits of choosing one 'thing' early and sticking with it.

 

Beyond just a little friction with our first two daughters when they were little, they've never veered from their commitment to swimming. The fitness is incomparable as is the benefit gained from setting goals and seeing them through to completion. Don't get me wrong, none of them are Missy Franklin-level swimmers, but they will all likely have the opportunity to swim at the college level if they so desire. More importantly, they will have mastered the art of doing something very, very hard and making it look easy. Heck, just standing up on the blocks and handling the pressure of the start of a race is anxiety-provoking to me, but my girls think nothing of it now.

 

Over the years, they've also dabbled in T-ball, soccer, gymnastics, robotics, ice skating, and a few other things, but we never stopped swimming and only participated in those other interests in a way that it didn't interfere with swimming. I think this sort of focus and commitment teaches a lot of stick-to-itiveness that will benefit them in many ways in life, the least of which is likely to be in the water.

[Murmer]

I think the best we can do is offer the opportunity and be open to their interests. That said I realized how valid the 10,000 hours thing probably is. When I was 14 I started doing ballet...I was short and stocky and had not danced before 14. I knew it was not a career just a passion. I ended up dancing for 10 years through college and even for 1 year after college. Then I stopped to be a mom. Just recently I tried an adult ballet class. The teacher was shocked....she said she had never seen anyone dance the way I did unless they were teachers. I had put in 10000 hours and had actually become pretty good even if I never used it again I learned valuable skills like self discipline (try going to be by 10 pm every night in college with night owl roomates that takes more than self discipline lol). So I think the journey is the key and the hope is when the passion hits 10000 hours will just happen, with support from us.

[dirty ethel rackham]

The other parts of the equation is passion and talent. It was the passion (along with opportunity) that got them the 10,000 hours. It was internally driven, not external. Bill Gates didn't have a tiger-mom forcing him to spend hours at the computer lab. In fact, I think she probably would have preferred that he spend time on his other studies that he was neglecting. I only finished half the book because I came to realize that my only role in this was to provide opportunity.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

It's been some time since I read the book, but I don't remember feeling the need to push 10,000 hours on my dd. We did talk about the book, though.

 

We discussed the 10,000 hour concept and how many factors are at work in making an outlier. She was taken with the idea of outliers at the time and was curious about them which is why we discussed it.

 

I don't think the 10,000 hours can be pushed hours. If the person is not fully present and engaged, those hours might just be a waste of time.

 

I've seen the 10,000 hour concept criticized. I can't remember where right now. If I remember I'll post it. I do remember thinking that whether or not it's true, all I can do is try to provide opportunities, guidance and encouragement.

[Annie G]

 

This blog is by one of my dearest online friends - a former homeschooling mom.

 

Thanks for linking Chloe's blog! What a blast from the past- instantly I remembered PSP, The Hunter, Wolfie, the Tick. It was nice to read her writing again. We did the best we could raising our kids, but we sit around and wonder what we did wrong because each of our kids has some goofy issue.

[Jen500]

I read the book as more thoughtful entertainment than a road map to success. The 10,000 hours was only a small part of the book--there were chapters on luck, culture, opportunities, etc-I can't remember them all.

[Karen in CO]

I've also read the 10,000 hours other books. I always took the research as encouraging. When I was a child, a stupid piano teacher told me I had no talent and was wasting my parent's money which made me promptly believe him and quit piano. A mean art teacher once told me I had no talent and was wasting her time. Now, I firmly believe that I can learn piano and learn to draw and paint because it isn't only something talented people can do; it is a skill that can be learned and practiced and mastered.

 

The 10,000 hours helped me to encourage my dd to move up from the minimum 15 minutes practice required in cello last year to an hour daily practice. The results were amazing. After a month of extra practice, her teacher met with us to note that she was talented. Her extra practice made her sound better which encouraged her which made her feel good about playing which helped moved the cello toward becoming a passion.

 

I also warn my kids that could get their 10,000 hours of practice watching tv and become master couch potatoes.

Edited October 24, 2012 by Karen in CO

[Soror]

The other parts of the equation is passion and talent. It was the passion (along with opportunity) that got them the 10,000 hours. It was internally driven, not external. Bill Gates didn't have a tiger-mom forcing him to spend hours at the computer lab. In fact, I think she probably would have preferred that he spend time on his other studies that he was neglecting. I only finished half the book because I came to realize that my only role in this was to provide opportunity.

 

:iagree: If one of them develops a passion for something I'll do my best to provide opportunities and resources. I don't think it works the same though to pick something for them to excel at and even if it did that is not how I care to parent.

[fourisenough]

I haven't read it, but Cal Newport's new book makes a case against the concept of having a 'passion' be the driving force in your life. He is the author behind the popular blog Study Hacks. Here is a blurb from his website about the new book: My new book argues that "follow your passion" is bad advice, then chronicles my quest to figure out what works instead.

 

Food for thought...

 

Maybe you develop a passion AFTER putting in the 10K hours (or somewhere along the way)?

 

Here's a link to the book: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1455509124/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1455509124&linkCode=as2&tag=stuhac-20

[Nan in Mass]

But do you WANT an outlier? An outlier is someone who gets ahead of the game by putting in 10,000 hours (assuming the book is right) BEFORE the age at which other more normal people manage to put in their 10,000 hours. In the long run, how much of an advantage is this? Personally, I'd rather have a child who put many hours into several different aspects of themselves, enough to have figured out the value of practice but not so much that the child spent all his or her time developing the ability to do a back flip but no time developing the ability to make music or developing their compassion or developing their creativity or problem-solving abilities. I'm resigned to having lopsided children (in our family, that is inevitable) but I'd rather not have driven, single-minded ones, even if it did mean that they were able to get a scholarship to Harvard or become a billionaire. I doubt they would be able to survive at Harvard if they were that lopsided and I hope they are way too good to become that rich. It would be very nice if they were good at something, at several somethings, one that would make people want to hire their services, one that would bring them great pleasure throughout their life, and one that would allow them to make the world a better place, but there is a price to be paid for the sort of singlemindedness that produces an outlier, a price I would be reluctant to pay. If I had to, I would, obviously, but the price we paid for "good" for some of my children's interests was high enough. For example, I had "good" gymnasts but I was relieved they wanted family vacations more than the Olympics or college scholarships; the price we paid for even "good" was high enough as it was. I still think it was worth paying for the mental and physical strenght they gained, but I think if you pushed past that point to the Olympic point, the lessons gained would have been about the same but the sacrifice would have been much greater. The same is true of a number of other interests that we let our children follow to the extreme-but-not-outlier point. I think the outlier point is unavoidable by loving parents, if one happens to have an outlier, but outliers are just that - outliers - very very rare. As homeschooling parents, our problem is distinguishing between the statements "many outliers are homeschoolers" and "many homeschoolers are outliers". I think that homeschooling can give a child enough free time to discover a passion. It can also give the child the sheer quantity of time necessary to become an outlier (remember we are discounting the other factors that result in an outlier that becomes useful to the world or famous or rich or ...). I think that very few children under those circumstances will settle on ONE passion. Most will want to explore a number of them. For a happy normal life, I think perhaps this is a better approach. I'd rather have a flexible child, one who when one thing becomes impractical, has something else equally nice to do.

 

My husband and I did a little speculative math for the experts we know and concluded that the 10,000 hour figure is about right. An expert, though, is not the same as an outlier. We know lots of experts. An outlier is someone who had the opportunity and the single-minded-ness to put in those 10,000 hours before the end of high school and who then had the opportunity and the desire to continue to build that skill the rest of their lives. If you push a child to put in those 10,000 hours, will the child still want to do whatever-it-is later in life? Or will that 10,000 hours be a wasted sacrifice?

 

If you happen to have a child who has the passion and the single-mindedness to put in the 10,000 hours, I think it is more likely that you will spend your time worrying about how to round him out rather than worrying about how to encourage that passion. Yes, of course you say things like, "Yes, you have to go to gymnastics tonight. You signed up for it this year and you are now committed," and "Do you really think you could quit and not miss it?" and "I think you are just tired (or upset or getting sick or whatever) tonight. You have to go tonight but if you still feel this way next week, we'll talk about making a chiange." There is a big difference between helping a child stick to something the child wants to stick to and making opportunities for a child to develop something, and encouraging a child to continue to do something the child long ago was done doing because you are convinced that it will give that child a competative edge in life. It is hard on a night to night basis to decide whether to make them go, but if you step back and look at the pattern, it should be easier to judge this. It also is important to be honest with yourself about your own ambitions for your child.

 

As you can probably tell by this post, I've dealt with this issue with all of mine. If I had been a tiger mom, I would probably, at this point, have at least one child who had put 10,000 hours into something. I have children who have put 3000 or 5000 hours into one thing and could have been pushed into doubling that time. As I said, though, I think it is better that they put those hours into several things rather than one. They will have a nice start to becoming experts, something to easier to continue as adults, some idea of what it takes to become good at something, and some idea of what they like to spend their time doing.

 

Nan

[Wheres Toto]

I read the book and liked it but felt no compulsion to change my or my kids lives. I guess we aren't competitive enough. I sort of figure it needs to be self-generated or it won't have an effect anyway.

 

 

:iagree: I'm sure I wouldn't be considered a tiger mom to any extent at all but I can't think of any scenario where I'd want to spend 10,000 hours forcing my child to do something they weren't really into.

 

My oldest has done 10,000 hours in dance. It was her idea to start, her idea to continue, her idea to put in tons of hours. I don't know if she will ever dance professionally, she's minoring in dance at college now. But, it has given her many benefits outside of her dance ability.

 

I don't have anywhere near 10,000 hours in anything but typing and reading.

 

Dh is a successful generic pharmaceutical chemist. He is very good at what he does, has a very useful skill set. He wanted to be a chemist from the time he was 8 years old, so definitely put in a lot of hours of study and pursuing that interest. But, he also toured with rock bands as a merchandising manager, was a professional dart player for a while, was an award winning bowler, and now he's playing poker, so not all his time went into pursuing his main passion.

[Element]

The other parts of the equation is passion and talent. It was the passion (along with opportunity) that got them the 10,000 hours. It was internally driven, not external. Bill Gates didn't have a tiger-mom forcing him to spend hours at the computer lab. In fact, I think she probably would have preferred that he spend time on his other studies that he was neglecting. I only finished half the book because I came to realize that my only role in this was to provide opportunity.

 

:iagree: Yes! Exactly.

 

 

The 10,000 hours idea helped me see that an odd little passion which we, as parents, don't quite yet understand, COULD grow into something which will help the child succeed in a field. We just have to stand back and allow that passion/talent/whatever to develop, providing whatever educational opportunities (related the the talent) we can.

[Bluegoat]

I too am unsure that I think it is my job to make my child into an outlier. I'm not sure those people are necessarily happier, better people, or more useful to society. When I look at the people I know who have those qualities, the majority are not people who pursued one passion in childhood, brought it to the expert level, and then carried on with it in adulthood.

 

Just recently I read a book of little essays or sketches really by Gerald Durrell. He was the guy who wrote the book My Family and Other Animals, and he was, as a child, obsessed by the natural world - he spent nearly all his time exploring it. In fact, his whole family seemed to be made up of monomaniacs of one sort or another. While they were very funny to read about and clearly very talented, it doesn't seem to me that they were very easy or pleasant people to live with, and maybe it wasn't entirely pleasant to be them either.

[PiCO]

I've also read the 10,000 hours other books. I always took the research as encouraging. When I was a child, a stupid piano teacher told me I had no talent and was wasting my parent's money which made me promptly believe him and quit piano. A mean art teacher once told me I had no talent and was wasting her time. Now, I firmly believe that I can learn piano and learn to draw and paint because it isn't only something talented people can do; it is a skill that can be learned and practiced and mastered.

 

This is how I took the book also. I think the whole "talent" idea is American. We tell kids that they are either "good" at math or not. In Asia, they tell kids to work harder if they're not getting it. (This is from a book I read when I started Singapore Math with my oldest a long time ago...)

 

As far as the book goes, I enjoyed it- but it sure didn't make me want to make an Outlier of my kids. I don't understand why people would want to do that... but I do encourage kids to get really involved with an activity they enjoy, and to persevere through difficulties. Even "talented" people have to work hard to be successful. Outliers are extremely talented people who put in their 10,000 hours +.

[justamouse]

The other parts of the equation is passion and talent. It was the passion (along with opportunity) that got them the 10,000 hours. It was internally driven, not external. Bill Gates didn't have a tiger-mom forcing him to spend hours at the computer lab. In fact, I think she probably would have preferred that he spend time on his other studies that he was neglecting. I only finished half the book because I came to realize that my only role in this was to provide opportunity.

 

:iagree:

 

I love the book.

 

Here's my thought on it. You can have passion and work and be amazing. You can have passion and nothing. You can have work and be amazing.

 

I equate it to writing. Plain old hard work at writing makes authors. Time, and time again. Why? Because it is hard, it is drudgery, the middle sucks, pushing past the initial plan is atrocious, and most people quit.

 

Be the person that doesn't quit and you've run 99% of the race, and the 1% is the hard work paying off.

 

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like hard work." THomas Edison.

 

My job is to make my kids hard workers. To learn perseverance. The rest will come.

Edited October 24, 2012 by justamouse

[Tress]

I've also read the 10,000 hours other books. I always took the research as encouraging. When I was a child, a stupid piano teacher told me I had no talent and was wasting my parent's money which made me promptly believe him and quit piano. A mean art teacher once told me I had no talent and was wasting her time. Now, I firmly believe that I can learn piano and learn to draw and paint because it isn't only something talented people can do; it is a skill that can be learned and practiced and mastered.

 

:iagree:

 

This is how I took the book also. I think the whole "talent" idea is American. We tell kids that they are either "good" at math or not. In Asia, they tell kids to work harder if they're not getting it. (This is from a book I read when I started Singapore Math with my oldest a long time ago...)

 

As far as the book goes, I enjoyed it- but it sure didn't make me want to make an Outlier of my kids. I don't understand why people would want to do that... but I do encourage kids to get really involved with an activity they enjoy, and to persevere through difficulties. Even "talented" people have to work hard to be successful. Outliers are extremely talented people who put in their 10,000 hours +.

 

Yup. That is what I took from it.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

What about 10,000 hours on the WTM forum? Does that make one an outlier or just average? :confused: ;)

 

Seriously though, this conversation does remind me to carefully consider how I spend my time. It's so easy to waste minutes that lead to hours--many hours.

 

I've heard of people writing books in strange snatches of time. I think one take-away for me is to make good use of those moments.

[KrissiK]

I loved the book. I thought it was completely fascinating. But the point is, these people are the "outliers". They aren't normal. They are stellar. They aren't just good at what they do. They aren't even just great. They are obsessed. And it's not just passion or the 10,000 hours. It's being at the right place at the right time and taking advantage of opportunities. It's no coincidence that the movers and shakers in the pc revolution were born in the early 1950's. I didn't read this book and think there was something practical I could take away from it. Dh read it and got all caught up in the 10,000 hours, too. I just read it as a very interesting explanation as to how these people became so amazingly successful. A person can't plan or decide to be an outlier. You just go and end up one.

[Negin]

Thanks for linking Chloe's blog! What a blast from the past- instantly I remembered PSP, The Hunter, Wolfie, the Tick. It was nice to read her writing again. We did the best we could raising our kids, but we sit around and wonder what we did wrong because each of our kids has some goofy issue.

Annie, you're welcome :). I love her blog and her writing. She's so real and so open, incredibly helpful also.

[Mommy22alyns]

Rebecca will end up with 10,000 hours in gymnastics, I'm sure of it. I am not pushing her though, I'm giving her opportunities.

 

Sylvia, I'm not so sure. She's not that passionate about anything.

[Donna]

My dd has put in well over half her 10,000 hours with her violin (i just figured out an average of her practice time over 7 years and estimated low) because she is driven and works hard. I simply provide the funds, the resources, search for the right teachers and camps, and do a lot of driving. She doesn't practice by the hour but has a list of everything she wants to accomplish in a given day and works throughout the day until her list is complete so her focus isn't how many hours she practices.

 

I read the book but I think there is a lot missing in the 10,000 hour plan. One could spend 10,000 hours with their instrument mindlessly playing through their material without any specific focus in their practice or even practicing incorrect technique....basically just clocking time. Another person could put in the time enjoying their practice and practicing intentionally with focus on specific technique. The second person will make much more progress in much less time.

 

I think every person could potentially learn to play a violin (learn the technical aspects of playing) if given the chance but there will still be those who "feel" the music (phrasing, dynamics, etc...have that something special in their playing). I don't know if that feel for music can be taught as easily as the technical aspects or if it is a natural thing but it is what separates those who people want to hear, the greats, from those who are simply good.

 

Being an outlier also involves a lot of being in the right place at the right time, knowing the right people, finding the right teachers, etc... These are all external factors that decide who will "make it" vs. who will never be noticed.

[Trish]

Well, I'm not sure that Outliers are any happier with their lives, so no, I don't feel any pressure to pressure my kids to be one. :001_smile:

[Haiku]

Do I encourage my kids to put more hours in on their interests?

 

Imo, nothing kills the joy of an interest like having it turned into a chore/another d@mn thing you have to do.

 

Tara

[Georgiana Daniels]

For us, it's the amount of time required by the sport. DD8 has practice 15 hours a week during the school year and 20 during the summer. DD7 doesn't have nearly as much, but still practices 3x a week, and she'll be able to carry on with her sport through her life.

 

Of course, neither of those is music, etc. but I think the same principle still applies.

 

As to my writing--I'm still working toward my own 10,000 hours. Last time I calculated I was close to hitting 6K of serious writing time, but that was a few years ago.

[Georgiana Daniels]

What about 10,000 hours on the WTM forum? Does that make one an outlier or just average? :confused: ;)

 

Seriously though, this conversation does remind me to carefully consider how I spend my time. It's so easy to waste minutes that lead to hours--many hours.

 

I've heard of people writing books in strange snatches of time. I think one take-away for me is to make good use of those moments.

 

LOL!!! Average, I'm almost certain. :lol:

[laundrycrisis]

IMO to put in 10,000 on anything and still be mentally healthy, and to become an outlier in any area, it has to be a true passion. I can't choose their passions for them.

 

What I can do is help them learn how to work hard at things I deem important now, so that when they find something they want to work that hard at because it's important to them, they know how to dig in and work hard. The hard work I require of them now is training for hard work they will either need or want to do, for their own reasons, later on in life.

 

If they never become "outliers" - that's fine - most people will not be. We can't all be exceptional. But I want them to know how to work hard at things so they have a chance at success in whatever they take on. Another part of the outlier equation was chance/luck. It's the old "preparation meets opportunity" definition. I can prepare them to prepare themselves in an area of their choosing. Learning to work hard and maintain focus and dig into things in general is the first step.