the 10,000 hour rule

Removing the Devil from our Dinner Plates

    After reading Chapter 2 from the book Outliers; the story of success written by Malcolm Gladwell I have come to the conclusion that practice does make perfect. I know it sounds cliché but sometimes there is a certain amount of truth to be found in a cliché.  For instance when Benjamin Franklin stated “a penny saved is two pence dear” (“a penny saved is a penny earned”) that’s pretty much correct, especially if you have your pennies in a financial institution earning yearly interest. By that same token Mr. Gladwell’s point that it takes ten thousand hours of hard work and dedication to make one an expert at a particular field has a certain amount of truth to it.

    Having the opportunity and the resources to be able to perfect your craft would also help one’s cause tremendously. For anyone to spend countless days and nights immersed in studying, practicing, and perfecting one skill has to mean the person doing so has to be very interested in what he/she is pursuing.  So if I could become an expert at anything I think I would dedicate my time and effort to biological engineering. My goal would be to develop food that is rich in vitamins and nutrients minus the toxins and fatty cells that lead to heart disease, obesity and in some cases cancer but. I understand that we are living in the “organic” age and there are a lot of alternative low fat foods available but most of those items simply don’t taste good. The “New Food” as I would call it would not compromise the original taste at all.

    I understand to do this type of work I would have to experiment with live animals, but before you call PETA and have them picketing my laboratory I would also develop a way that is totally pain free and harmless to animals. Besides I’m a pet owner and I wouldn’t dare harm a defenseless animal, even if it meant I would earn Einstein status for removing the devil from our dinner plates. I understand the idea seems far fetched, but imagine how this would impact the world, imagine how many lives it would save. No longer would my girlfriend have to eat like a rabbit when we dine out at The Olive Garden. Parents would no longer have to beg their children to eat their veggies or drink fruit juices and milk to build strong bones and healthy bodies. This would indeed be a nutritional revolution. I think it also would make the world a happier place as a whole because this would be something for all people.

    The downside of my biological breakthrough is that health clubs, workout DVD’s, and expensive diet programs would become futile. I believe that the clothing market would also take a serious hit because who would buy a pair of running shoes or jogging shorts if they could eat as much as they want anytime they want without worrying about weight gain?  Produce sales could eventually drop as a result of this food revolution, but I think the majority of people in the world like the taste of their fruits and veggies. Despite the economic consequences I think the world would welcome the new food with Arms and mouths wide open.

   

   

   

Response to "Outliers..."

Christopher Jackson

                                                                                                                                            

Outliers…the story of success

    The Outliners chapter one: The Matthew Effect Raised the question of success being a matter of time rather than a result of lineage, education and determination. The Graph containing the birth dates of the professional and semi-pro hockey players was very convincing and further solidified his thesis. To be honest it had me at a loss for words when I first read it, I looked at it again to make sure I was reading correctly. But as I read on I discovered the time in which these athletes were born meant that they were at the perfect age to mentally and physically to excel. And he also explained how being good athletes exposed them to the best coaches and they trained almost three times as much as their lower echelon peers.

     As a middle child who was born in February I find myself in a better position in life compared to my siblings. By no means am I wealthy, but I was always considered the “smart kid” by all or most of the members of my family.  Early in my “academic career” I didn’t feel smart as the other kids in class. I was constantly staying after school to study with teachers and honor role students. I was struggling to keep up with the rest of class as it seemed everyone would pick up lessons really quick but I would have to study extra hard to understand. But I did excel at sports which influenced my opinion about the theme of the writing.

    Perhaps being good athletically opened the doors for me to receive extra help.  I think It heavily depends on where you attend school. All schools are not created equal, the amount of tax dollars funneled through property taxes vary from district to district. The higher the property taxes the more funds flow in those districts schools. The results of those funds are a multitude of programs and resources aimed at helping the students excel in sports as well as academically. The schools in the lower tax brackets have very limited funds. They cut athletic programs and other extracurricular activities while increasing the amount of kids per class.

    Maybe the lack of athletic programs in the poorer districts is linked to the poor performance of the inner city schools. Could Gladwell’s thesis only hold water for kids in a higher tax bracket? The point about the hockey players was well taken. But what if their parents didn’t have the time or means for their kids to participate in organized sports? Is this the reason so many inner city youth gravitate so strongly toward basketball? All you need to play is shorts, gym shoes, and the ability to put the ball in the hole. Physical ability will only get you so far, the environment surrounding the child has to be conducive for success, and a child athlete has a better chance of being successful in a school with a good athletics program.

    As for success, it is defined and measured differently on an individual basis. I think to be successful a person has to choose what area of life they want to succeed in, and work hard at it. Even the Hockey players Gladwell spoke about didn’t make it merely because they were born in the first quarter of the year but because they took full advantage of the opportunity they were presented with. Determination and hard work was detrimental to their achievement, like they say “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make them drink it.” So even if some kids have the physical advantage over other kids in their grade level it is ultimately in the hands of the individual to his perception of success.

Hello everyone my name is Chris Jackson, im a pretty outspoken deep thinker (well at least i think i am). You will find that my demeanor is a little intimidating but underneath the rough exterior i am someone who takes in consideration every word a person says even when joking. i have experienced a lot in life and have encountered several personality types and find commonality with almost everyone. the world is a colorful place and i want to do more than just blend in.