It takes 10,000 hours to become a master of something
I recently enjoyed a conversation with a good friend who was opening up to me about his personal dance evolution. This pearl of a man shared that since he began his dance journey, he has witnessed himself breaking out of his own shell, climbing out of his comfort zone, and enjoying the human experience a little more each day because of dance. He shared his experience with me, and his strategy to become a better dancer through group lessons, social practice and some private one on one coaching. By immersing himself in his passion, he has become a better-rounded person on and off the dance floor. While he was sharing his stories of glory (and guts), he turned to me, and admitted that he struggled with confidence, sometimes finding himself intimidated by a dance partner or even a dance floor. He looked me in the eyes, and asked me with such honesty and vulnerability, if I always felt confident. My knee jerk reaction was to laugh, and tell him “of course I struggle with confidence at times!” and that struggle is real. And it dawned on me: confidence is a work in progress. Something you can build, and that foundation is built on experience. I heard somewhere that when someone demonstrates a skill and makes it look effortless, that is a sign that the person has dedicated hours and hours to practicing and mastering this skill. According to the author of the book “Outliers: The Story of Success,” on average, it is found to take 10,000 hours to become a master of something- whether it be water skiing, flying a kite, coding, or dancing. 10,000 hours, or a rough equivalent of 10 years. In the [...]
