Questions: "Secrets to Success"
How do you explain people of really unusual exceptional talent?
Why are they so good?
What is the nature of being exceptional?
Working hard?
capability
accident?
Programs to find the most gifted children
Malcom Gladwell
Does not believe in institutions that value kids at such a young age
Child learning to read at 3 or child learning to read at 4, reading is reading
The Matthew Effect:
"He who has much more, more will be given"
A small initial advantage, the person who receives a small initial difference early on is more suitable
The example of kids who play hockey
The kids who are more advanced at such a young age, they receive better coaching, therefor they end up being much better than other kid who were born later
The cutoff date is January 1st
The story of the son succeeding but the father fails
Genrational Effects:
The worst year to be born in 20th Century is 1900-1910
Just as you get out of college the depression hits
After depression you get shipped off to war for 6 years
The best year to be born in the 20th century is 1935
By the time you get back and start a business its too late, you're in late 40's
smallest birth year of the 20th century
less people competing with you
in 1935 there is a huge generation before you that built big huge shiny schools and hired a bunch of teachers
There is not as many kids as there once was
Opens up way more opportunities, less people makes for less competition and lower standards
"My brother before me had 35 people in his class, I have 18"
These students were average kids with teachers who had a Professorship in math teaching at a public school
Lack of opportunity created very talented individuals in average positions
Bill Gates Example
Finds other computers to program
Mainframe at university of Washington medical center between 2am-6am and programs.
Brilliant guy, at 15 years old, incredible passion
willing to sacrifice his sleep which makes him special
10,000 hour rule
"In order to be good, you must practice at least ten-thousand hours"
logged an incredible amount of hours
The Beatles Example:
They play 8 hour sets, 7 days a week, for months in a stretch
Played in a strip club, were a house band
Wayne Gretzky
"Greatest hockey player of all time"
As a kid would sit infront of the TV at 2 years old and watch hockey games
Started to cry when the hockey game was over
This was glimpse of future greatness
What is his Talent?
Ability?
Vision
Coordination
He just loves it so much, he wants to do nothing but interact with it and engage it
Why are people so hostile to the notion that what genius actually is an extraordinary love for a particular thing?
Why are we so hostile to the notion that the genius loves what he or she does more than we do?
We have no problem at all labeling genius as that person being more capable than others
"Love is not the complete explanation, love is the way in"
Wayne Gretzky thinks about it all the time, engages the sport in a different way than others have ever engaged it
Famous example of goal from behind the net
He can not get hockey out of his head
he is completely in love with hockey
Example of him approaching and engaging hockey in a different way