Genius and the Brain #1

A book by David Shenk entitled The Genius in All of Us: New Insights into Genetics, Talent and IQ has revealed several interesting points. Practice is one of them. Rather than being the result of genetics or inherent genius, truly outstanding skill in any domain is rarely achieved with less than ten thousand hours of practice over ten years' time. Interestingly, a number of separate studies have turned up the same common number, concluding that truly outstanding skill in any domain is rarely achieved in less than ten thousand hours of practice over ten years' time (which comes to an average of three hours per day). From sublime pianists to unusually profound physicists, researchers have been very hard-pressed to find any examples of truly extraordinary performers in any field who reached the top of their game before that ten-thousand-hour mark. Some might be discouraged by this; others will be energized. It will depend on their mindset.