"The 10,000 Hour Rule"

       If I had ten years to spend on becoming a master in anything I wanted I would probably waste all of my time trying to decide what to do, because I am such an indecisive person, but for the sake of the assignment I think I would choose to be an incredibly good soccer player. I know that that is not the most ambitious or awe inspiring choice, but I loved to play soccer in high school so I would appreciate the opportunity to play again. I feel like this would be a good choice for me because I know that I already love soccer, but I am not that good at it. It is a fun game that anyone can play and it is really the world's sport. It is a game that my friends all used to play, so that would probably think it is cool that I am an expert at it. 

       I also wanted to choose to be an expert in something that would not put me in the public eye too much, for instance I have no interest in being a rock star or famous actress. I would just enjoy being able to play a fun game with confidence and skill. I believe that by choosing this activity I am also selecting to stay in great shape for at least the next ten years. I would love the chance to be a part of a team again and have pride in what I do. I also love to compete, and I have been missing that lately.

"The Matthew Effect"

          Gladwell clearly states that he personally does not believe that hard work and talent alone can lead to success, he makes the point that there are certain circumstances that a person can attribute to their success whether they realize it or not. He points out that the boys who are born very close to the cutoff date in hockey have an unfair advantage because they are bigger and more developed than the other boys that are competing for the same positions. While Gladwell makes a good point, I find it hard to believe that a person's birthday can be the only reason for their success. It is strongly apparent that being the older player is an advantage to have, but it should not affect the success of so many people so drastically. In my opinion, such a small variable should not be the primary factor between success and failure, because there are so many more things that are a part of the equation; many of them being choices such as being a hard worker.
          People can always make the choice to work harder, stay later, and to sacrifice more in order to achieve greatness, but I feel like Gladwell completely ignores this fact in this chapter of Outliers. He only focuses on one variable that leads to the success of hockey players, but it is important to point out that these men were most likely also some of the hardest working men in their profession. I understand that Gladwell has a good amount of evidence and analogies to support his ideas, but it is also very clear to me that throughout this passage he sounds very narrow-minded. He just continues on and on about the hockey players and their astrological signs, but refuses to touch on anything else. He could have researched the areas where the players grew up or the family history and how invested in hockey the families were, but instead he is singularly focused on one thing. I am not saying that it is a bad thing to focus one's research on a certain variable, but it is extremely important that we, as readers, take note of this fact and take what Gladwell says with a grain of salt.
         

About Me

I am a freshman at Roosevelt University studying Communications and International Relations. I am from Central Indiana, and I enjoy playing sports, spending time outdoors, and hanging out with my family. After college, I hope to join the Peace Corps and then possibly start working for a non-profit organization.