I have always believed in the power of motivational quotes and this one by 1950’s personal development guru Earl Nightingale is one of my favourites. As well as being highly motivational, I find it inspirational because as you will read below, the goal is within all our reach. Please read and absorb the quote before reading on;
Some of you may have read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell where he talks about the 10,000-hour rule. The 10,000-hour rule states that if we have 10,000 hours of exposure to a given discipline early enough in life, then we have a high chance of becoming an outlier in that discipline, someone who is simply better than everyone else. Gladwell uses Mozart, Michael Jordan and Bill Gates as his case studies.
Over 50 years before Gladwell came up with the 10,000-hour rule, Earl Nightingale already understood this. While his numbers don’t add up to 10,000, the principle is the same; by committing to the principle of constant improvement, we will arrive at levels of expertise most consider outside of their capability. The Japanese business philosophy of Kaizen is another good example of this approach to achieving exceptional performance.
Back to the quote and why I love it so much; If you were to take your current age and add 7 years, is that too old to be considered a world authority in what you do? I would expect that for most readers the answer is “Absolutely not!”
We therefore have a clear message; commit to one hour per day of learning and you will quickly be seen as an authority in that subject. You may think this is too much time to commit however, as long as you focus on something you like and have passion for, it’s both pleasurable and very achievable. If you were to calculate all the time we waste doing things of no consequence in a day, can’t you find time for something that can add value to your life?
Knowing that expertise, recognition and all the associated benefits are so achievable can motivate us to change our habits and inspire us to succeed. However, this will only happen if we really want it, and that is where the majority of people fall short. They say they want it, start, and then within a month find excuses why they should do something else. Think diets and fitness regimes!
The good news is that this tendency of giving up leaves the door open for the few that see it through, so, if you are passionate about something and want to make it a part of your life, start the stop of 10,000 hours with a single hour today :-)
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