The 10,000 Hour Rule

A study was done in the early 90's by psychologist K. Anders Eriksson to determine what a person had to do to become an expert in his or her particular field. For years, many had believed that innate talent was the primary source, but Eriksson believed there was another key component. His findings proved this to be true.

He and two colleagues from Berlin's elite Academy of Music divided the school's violinists into 3 groups. The 1st group were the stars. In the 2nd were those deemed to be merely "good". The 3rd group were those who would never play professionally.

All the violinists were asked the same question: Over the course of your entire career, since the day you picked up the violin, how many hours have you practiced? Over the first couple of years all the violinists practiced the same amount. However, around age eight differences emerged. The group that became the star performers began practicing much more than the others. In fact, the experts had practiced 10,000 hours by the age of 20!

Eriksson went on to study other stars throughout history such as Mozart, The Beatles, Bill Gates, and many more. Once again, he found that 10,000 hours was the magic number!

Why do I write this? It's certainly not to discourage you! Instead, it's to encourage you not to give up on excelling in your God-given gifts. Keep working hard to become a better singer, songwriter, musician, actor, businessman, leader, banker, parent, spouse, etc. In many cases, you may be getting yourself ready for something great that God has for you in the future!

Study info from Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell