You Are What You Do.......

I'm sure you all have heard the saying "You are what you eat." So what does that mean? If you eat well, you will be well; but if you eat poorly you will feel poorly. Well what if we take that same concept and apply it to our actions.

We've all experienced through media people of extraordinary talents. You'll probably recognize names like Tiger Woods and Yo-Yo Ma. They are amongst the top in their profession. So how did they get that way? Well, it defiantly wasn't by watching T.V. and eating gummy worms.

Here is a Bit of Humor:

 The tourist in Manhattan asks for directions: “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?”

 Helpful local: “Practice, practice, practice.”

So we need to Practice. Okay. So, if practice makes perfect, how many hours of practice do we need to be among the best? 100? 1,000? 10,000? 100,000?

In Malcolm Gladwell's book "Outliers: The Story of Success" he addresses the idea that expertise is all about practice. As Gladwell puts it, "Practice isn't the thing you do once you're good. It's the thing you do that makes you good." He suggests that it takes about 10,000 hours of doing something before you are an expert at it.

So, if you are what you do, that what are you? Our family is starting a 10,000 hour project. It's going to take up approx. 12-15 years to complete it. It of course is going to take that long because the kids are in school so during the school year they can only fit in about 2 hours of practice after school plus maybe 4 hours on the weekend. You may be wondering what we chose to be experts at. 

• Caleb chose Archery
• Mike chose Archery
• Kaleb chose Drawing
• Dante chose Drawing
• I chose Dance (I've always envied dancers and wished that I was one)

I've given the kids the option to change their mind once with in the first few months. I didn't want them to feel trapped into what they chose. After all, a passion for what you are doing is important. It will be near impossible to stick to something for 10,000 hours if after the first hundred hours you begin to loathe it. For those with a bit more time on their hands, the 10,000 hours can be completed the following ways: Three hours a day (20 hours a week) for ten years. Or 40 hours a week for five years. We may complete ours in less than the 12-15 years I mentioned above because we can invest more time over vacations. I will be sure to keep you posted.

"The way to learn to do things is to do things. The way to learn a trade is to work at it. Success teaches how to succeed. Begin with the determination to succeed, and the work is half done already." - Mark Twain, writer and humorist.

What will you and your family decide to become experts at? See below for a partial list of things to choose from:

• Chess, Singing, Mechanical work
• Drums, Cello, Trumpet or other musical Instruments
• Soccer, Baseball, Track, Football or other Sports
• Photography, Painting, Drawing or other Arts
• Sewing, Knitting, Crocheting or other Crafts
• Dance, Cheering, Karate, Gymnastics
• Penmanship, Horseback rider, Medical Professional
• Programmer, Photoshop, In-design,  Flash or other programs

The list to choose from is virtually endless. So, if you will become what you do, what will you do to become what you want to be when you grow up? For me, I will dance.

"I know the price of success: dedication, hard work and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen." - Frank Llyod Wright, architect.