Roger Collins on Domains, Internet, Software, Society

I read this book a while back and keep bringing it up again and again in conversation because its lesson is so profound.  During our childhood, kids and grownups alike admire those children with “natural talent.” They learn the piano faster, they  learn faster how to throw and catch a football or baseball, or they pickup chess and beat their peers soon after learning the rules of the game.

The problem is that all this attention and positive reinforcement is for something that is not that valuable in the long run.  What we admire (and pay for) most in the long run comes from practice – thousands and thousands of hours of productive practice.

The most amazing conclusion from the research discussed in this book is that the “natural talent” advantage actually evaporates in the long run. Chess players that beat the pants off their peers in the first couple years of playing have no advantage at all against those same peers if and when they get to a higher level of play.  What matters then is how much and how effectively they practiced.

The most talented people in the world did not achieve their skills by nature but by more and better practice.  Colvin describes how Tiger Woods became the best in the world at golf  – Mozart at composing symphonies – and more.  Practice worked for the best doctors, the most successful business leaders, and the most popular artists.

Read this book and get inspired to work hard and get great at something.

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