The Rule of 10,000 Hours

Many people make the mistake of assuming that anyone who’s extremely talented in some area was born that way.

In other words, that they have a gift.

But what these same people don’t do is study talented people.

Instead of making assumptions, they should figure out what a successful person does.

What do they do on a daily basis?

Were they really born talented?

…Or did they work hard and earn it?

When I began studying successful people, one of the commonalities I discovered among them was the daily practice of their craft.

Bloggers wrote daily.

Basketball players practiced daily.

Musicians were in the studio daily.

No matter the profession, they did it daily.

All of these people logged in hours and hours. 

When you really dig deep into the lives of successful people, it becomes evident that they spend most of their time practicing that which makes them successful.

Now let’s pause for a moment and think about what you’ve spent 10,000 hours doing.

First, let’s do a little math and spread out 10,000 hours over the course of 5 years.

10,000 hours/5 years (1,825 days) = 5.5 hours per day

What have you done 5.5 hours every day the past 5 years?

Have you dedicated time to an area of your life that you’d like to improve?

Have you spent it on Social Media?

Watching TV?

When you sit down and think about it, you realize why you are where you are in life.

You can’t expect to be great without dedicating time to your craft.

It’s simply not possible.

Talent is developed.

Put in the time and you’ll become great.

Sit around and spend 5.5 hours per day wishing things were different, and you’ll get great at wishing.

[bctt tweet=”Sit around and spend 5.5 hours per day wishing things were different, and you’ll get great at wishing.”]

Why 10,000 Hours Makes You Great

Is his classic book, Mastery, Robert Greene explains how in order to reach the level of greatness (Mastery) one must dedicate 10,000 hours into practicing their craft.

(By the way, I highly recommend that book if you’re serious about your success.)

At first, I didn’t really agree with the concept of 10,000 hours.

I felt that if it were true, everyone would do it.

I mean, if becoming a master of writing (Or anything else) only required 10,000 hours of practice, I would lock myself in my apartment and dedicate 16 hours per day until I reached my level of mastery.

I’d live a minimalist lifestyle so I can survive and focus ALL my energy and attention on becoming great.

I’d know that once I’m great, I would live the dream life I’ve always wanted.

Therefore, I would sacrifice everything and delay all gratification until I reached those 10,000 hours.

And then it hit me…

Some people can’t even dedicate ONE hour to their craft daily.

So even if there’s scientific proof that 10,000 hours per day DRAMATICALLY improves your skill level; people still wouldn’t do it.

And it was right there were I knew I’d become an amazing writer.

I decided to be among the few who logged in 10,000 hours.

…And I’m still in the process of doing so.

As I’m writing this, the clock is ticking and I’m getting closer and closer to becoming a master.

Decide Your Field of Practice and Make a Schedule

Before you do anything, you must FIRST decide what you want to be great at.

You have to get as specific as possible.

Next, making a daily schedule and begin putting in the time.

In my eBook, Mr. $100, I explain in the Schedule Section how I’d get up earlier everyday in order to practice writing.

Depending on your schedule, you’ll have to decide at what time you’ll sit down everyday and practice.

Once you make your schedule, make a personal commitment to stick to it.

Calculate how many hours you’re going to dedicate daily and figure out how long it’ll take you to reach those 10,000 hours.

I’m telling you right now that it’s going to take you years.

But don’t get demotivated because at the end of the day, time will go by anyways. 

You might as well take advantage and become a Master in something worthwhile.

As the days go by, you’ll see how slowly but surely you approach the Master Level.

Stop Searching for Instant Gratification

Now that you’ve learned that becoming a master at anything requires 10,000 hours of practice, you can stop being fooled into believing scams.

There are many people who will try and sell you things like “Learn guitar in 10 hours”, “Speak French in 1 day”, “Double your basketball shooting percentage in a week”.

I’m sure you’ve seen these kind of ads many times.

Ideas like these are attractive for the simple fact that people love quick results.

But the reality is that they don’t work.

Nothing beats time and practice.

Nothing!

Ever heard the saying “Practice makes perfect.”

It’s 100% accurate.

“But Alex, 10,000 hours is a LONG time!”

Maybe.

But look at it this way, my friend…

Where would you be in life today if you would’ve dedicated 10,000 hours the last 5 years to something great?

If you want proof that practice makes you great, just take a look at my archives section and read my older articles.

You’ll clearly see how much my writing has improved.

It’s for this reason why I don’t edit any of my old articles.

This blog is a clear illustration of a Master Writer/Blogger in progress.

There are no secrets in becoming great at something.

No matter what anyone tells  you, it’ll always come down to 10,000 hours of practice.

[bctt tweet=”There are no secrets in becoming great at something. No matter what anyone tells you, it’ll always come down to 10,000 hours of practice.”]

Talk soon,

-Alex

PS – Don’t forget to download my Dominant Discipline book. Click here for more Information.