Outliers

HI’ve picked up a long forgotten passion for reading.  I mentioned this in previous posts, and I want to make sure that I’m documenting everything I’m reading whether it’s a book related to recovery or not.  Last night I finished the book “Outliers:The Story of Success” by Malcolm Gladwell.  Now, many of you have probably read this book or at least have heard of it.  If not, I highly recommend picking up a copy or skimming over the synopsis.  This book is applicable to any individual in some aspect of their life.  Basically, Gladwell discusses individual stories of success, such as Bill Gates.  He analyzes the specific events that lead up to a person’s success and identifies details that are unique to their current situation and that which their success is dependent upon.  Here are some quotes that stood out to me:  

 “Working really hard is what successful people do...”

“Practice isn't the thing you do once you're good. It's the thing you do that makes you good.”

  “If you work hard enough, assert yourself, and use your mind and imagination, you can shape the world to your desires.”

“The outlier, in the end, is not an outlier at all.”

​

This last quote really stands out to me.  My whole life I’ve always used the excuse that “I was not born with that talent, skill, etc.”  Well, I’m now realizing that thinking that is just exactly that.  An excuse.  I thought my body wasn’t made to run.  But now I’m a runner.  I’m tired of making excuses for my laziness, lack of motivation, or will.  I’m a believer that if you are willing to do something, then you can do it.  If you aren’t willing to do something, then you never will.  Nothing you truly want comes easy; you have to work for it.  Like Malcolm Gladwell says, it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become perfect at something.  I think that’s true for anything, whether it be flying a plane or running.  So, those of you struggling out there to live a healthier lifestyle, just think that the minutes, hours, days that you are successful contribute to your 10,000 hours of perfecting your life.  That’s just under 417 days worth of hours.  If you have the will, then you will.  That doesn’t mean you won’t experience bumps in the road.  But, when you do, just jump back up, and continue racking up those successes.

With those thoughts, I will end with saying, here’s to getting closer to my 10,000 hours.