Reading some excerpts for AP English from this book Outliers by Rex Gladwell, I have to say it's a really good book. Really makes you think . Decided to post what I posted  on the class blog. Sorry for not posting much lately, School, College, SAT studying a bit and such got me kind of busy haha. I'll try to post more.

Well here it is....




Since I'm one of the "outliers" here since I forgot to comment on this blog, I'll combine 2 into 1 I guess..

"Think for a moment about what the story of hockey and early birthdays says about our success. It tells us that our notion that it is the best and brightest who effortlessly rise to the top is much too simplistic. Yes, the hockey players who make it to the professional level are more talented than you or me. But they also got a big head start, an opportunity that they neither deserved nor earned. And That opportunity played a critical role in their success"(33).

After the huge class discussion we've had in Class today, it has caused me to ponder even more about. Still sort of mindblown over the fact that our age plays such a role in our very lives. The day we were born, the year(Oh Evan), the month, even maybe the time could play in a role in the whole schematics of things around us. Like Gladwell said about the Hockey players being born in the months of January, February, and March and they all are of the professional level. Other months don't even really show there. It seems like these players were there at the right time, which is a funny convenience. Prior to reading this book, I thought and I'm sure all of us believed: "Those that tried the hardest will excel, while those that don't will not." Even though that statement holds a little merit, it's not really true as we were drilled into our heads with a power drill by the gargantuan overlord we refer to as society. When we saw in our class people's birthdays, I was shocked myself. I didn't understand or grasp the concept of Why but instantly got it as we got in line. Most of the students who excel are older whereas the younger ones don't have as much the ability. Me And Ernie were the only ones born in March, Avery I believe was born in August, etc. And it shows the younger we are, according to Gladwell that our success was more difficult( in a larger degree) than someone born in September(none of our class actually or March.). It seems being born in a certain month has a factor in our abilities and such. My Nine-Year Old Sister Whitney was born on December 6th, and is in 5th Grade. She's by far the youngest in her class and it's harder for her being in that age group.

"Even Mozart----the greatest musical prodigy of all time---- couldn't hit his stride until he had ten thousand hours in. Practice isn't the thing you do once you're good. It's the thing you do that makes you good"(42).

I like this excerpt as it shows that doing something over and over again can make you an expert if you do it long enough and proficiently of course in that respect.(You can't be burning grilled cheeses for 10,000 hours and expect to be the next Big-Time Chef on The Food Channel teaching people how to put frozen pizza in an oven, mmm~) But anyway, Gladwell in the 2nd Chapter circulates around this 10,000 hour ideal. That spending a long time, he says about this much would make you an expert in your field. What I like is he says practice is the thing that makes you good and that's totally true. People don't grasp that they won't have to practice and only have to practice when they're good. Perfectionism is impossible to attain, although there are people in this world who think they have attained it most certainly haven't. Believe me. But aiming to be perfect, will in turn make us better and better. Closer to that 10,000 hour goal.



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