Well, I'll give you a suggestion for a post topic.
I was recently reading Steve's article about the chances of becoming a black belt (no clue how old it is). In it, he says that you have very good chances of becoming a black belt if you commit to mastery. I definitely agree with that. It goes right along with what some of my other favorite blog authors say (practice anything enough and you'll get good at it). I have also heard of something called a 10-year law, which says that it takes roughly 10 years of dedicated practice to become world-class at something (regardless what it is). Now, given that people don't tend to live forever, it's highly unlikely that someone could simultaneously become a black belt, a professional pianist, a chess grandmaster, and a skilled sculptor. There just aren't enough years in a life. So, here's the question: How many things is it reasonable to pursue in your life? What if you enjoy a dozen different things and would like to become good at all of them? Are you doomed to be a dabbler in all of them, never acquiring any real mastery? How do you know what you should really pursue?  |