Cyberbaguioboy

“Outlier” is a scientific term to describe things or phenomena that lie outside normal experience –Malcolm Gladwell

UPDATE: I’m almost done. I liked the chapter dealing with plane crashes and why culture had something to do with it.

At least according to this book, titled Outliers, written by Malcolm Gladwell, it has a lot to do with the people surrounding you. I picked up this book while waiting for my family. I was at the Fully-Booked branch in Bonifacio High Street and noticed that it was the best-selling book in the store. So I decided to buy one because I’ve been hearing so much about it. Surprisingly, the bookstore ran out of copies. I asked the customer service if they have more copies stashed somewhere in the store. I was told all their copies of Outliers stacked like a Christmas tree were gone. Wow. This book must be a good read. 

Well, actually, I’m a Malcolm Gladwell fan. Been reading him since Tipping Point and Blink. A pop science/business writer — he was a business and science reporter for Washington Times before he became a staff writer at the New Yorker. So I was really looking forward to reading his next book. 

Currently, I’m in page 43. I’ve already picked a few ideas — which perhaps were not very surprising since they all make sense. This book, however, showed good examples and insights on why some people are very successful, which validated  things that we’ve been told or have observed.

So, what are the secrets to success? Or perhaps why are some people more successful than others? What makes an outlier?

Gladwell says success comes to people who have been given more chances to be good at what they do. And to get there, they needed time to practice — about 10,000 hours, to be precise. That’s what the Beatles have accomplished even before they became popular. That’s what Mozart has done. They practiced until they became so good. And if you start early, then you’re chances of success increases. So far, these are two key ingredients to success. 

Now, stop reading this blog, and go grab a copy ;-) 

p.s. And yes, this is my most recent entry after months (or weeks of silence — yeah, been busy @ work).