The Rule of 10,000 hours

Many people asked me, what are some traits that a person must have in order for them to achieve their success. Normally during interview I share with them 3 most important traits (at least these are the 3 most important things that I looked for in a candidates before they can work together with me in my organization)

1. Hardworking
2. Discipline
3. Teachable

Today I want to talk more about the first one, i.e. Hardworking.

I’m a person who have a strong believe that there are no short cut to success. If you want to be successful, you need to be prepared not only to work hard, but to work really really hard. 

"There is no elevator to success. You have to take the stairs !"

THE RULE OF 10,000 HOURS

Recently I came to know about the rule of 10,000 hours.
In his new book, Malcolm Gladwell, said that “The best way to achieve international stardom is to spend 10,000 hours honing your skills” 

The greatest athletes, entrepreneurs, musicians and scientists emerge only after spending at least three hours a day for a decade mastering their chosen field. Ability, according to Gladwell, is just one factor in success. Work ethic, luck, a strong support base and even being born in the right year play a far larger role.

Just as the Beatles rose to fame with the explosion of pop culture in the 1960s, so Bill Gates’s fascination with the ASR-33 Teletype that he used at school in 1968 placed a shy boy on track to become one of the world’s richest men.

“No one – not rock stars, not professional athletes, not software billionaires and not even geniuses – ever makes it alone,” writes Gladwell in Outliers: The Story of Success. His new book argues that there is no such thing as a “self-made man”. Instead, the years spent intensively focused on their area of expertise place the world’s most successful people above their peers.

What’s really interesting about this 10,000-hour rule is that it applies virtually everywhere. You can’t become a chess grand master unless you spend 10,000 hours on practice. The tennis prodigy who starts playing at six is playing in Wimbledon at 16 or 17  like Boris Becker. The classical musician who starts playing the violin at four is debuting at Carnegie Hall at 15 or so.

The obsessive approach is particularly evident in sporting icons. Jonny Wilkinson, the rugby player, Tiger Woods, the golfer, and the Williams sisters in tennis have all trained relentlessly since they were children. Much of Britain’s Olympic success is down to a combination of natural ability and sheer dedication. Victoria Pendleton’s emphatic gold in the women’s sprint cycling in Beijing came only after humiliating defeat in Athens four years ago. After training for four hours a day, six days a week the 27-year-old finally reaped the rewards. Rebecca Adlington, the 19-year-old swimmer who won two gold medals at the Beijing Games, has put in an estimated 8,840 hours of training since the age of 12. Bill Furniss, her coach, said: “When I first saw her, what stood out was the fact that she was so willing to take the pain and make sacrifices.”

Such dedication is also apparent in musicians. Maxim Vengerov, 34, is one of the world’s greatest violinists. He was born in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk and, after being given a miniature fiddle at the age of four, displayed outstanding aptitude.
His talent was matched by an immense work ethic. He practised seven hours a day, giving his first recital at the age of five and winning his first international prize at 15. Vengerov said: “My mother would get home at 8pm, cook dinner and then teach me the violin until four in the morning. As a four-year-old boy it was torture. But I became a violinist within two years.”

My 10,000 Hours

So when I first knew about this rule from Elim Chew, one very successful Entrepreneur, the first thing that I did was to do amental calculation. When I first started my career in sales, many people have doubt in me whether I will make it, because I have no sales skills or even communication skills at all. But I was willing to work very hard. My investment at that time was my time and energy. So if I calculated the amount of work that I did, literally talking to people non-stop 14 hours a day, 7 days a week for a period of 1.5 years. I’ve actually clocked a total of 7,665 hrs.  And true enough, by doing so, I became expert in my field, and that year I’ve broken industry record and featured in Straits Times.

I have proven that the 10,000 hour rules really applies.

So, I’ve done mine, and in fact I’m still doing it for many different aspects in my life right now.
What about you? Have you clocked in your 10,000 hours?

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