While reading Outliers, one may ask themselves; what are the factors that influence a person's success? In this non-fiction novel, Malcolm Gladwell analyzes the factors and circumstances many attribute to success, ultimately concluding that a high level of natural intelligence does not always reflect a prosperous future. Instead, Malcolm attributes a combination of factors such as one's upbringing, socioeconomic standing, efforts, opportunity, and luck to their success.
Gladwell begins the first chapter of this book by writing that there is something “profoundly wrong with the way we make sense of success.” After introducing a hockey player and his success, he begins to break down what many would typically attribute to his success; pure talent, …show more content…
As he writes, there is a “magic number” one must hit in order to obtain excellence in an area; 10,000 hours. He writes, "ten thousand hours is the magic number of greatness." One must put in the hours in order to receive the output of success. He supports this by using Mozart as an example. While we see him as a prodigy today, Mozart composed his first masterly level piece at the age of 21; he had been composing for well over ten years at this point. Even somebody we see to be inherently gifted becomes successful as a reaction of his efforts and hard work to get to that point. He continues to support his finding by comparing The Beatles and Bill Gates, which further show the result of practice across two different disciplines, proving the concept universally. Additionally, Gladwell ties this into to support the fact that opportunity is key in someone's success. Effort and opportunity work hand in hand; without practice, one will never become skilled in an area. However, the opportunity to be able to practice plays a key factor as well; without the opportunity to practice, one would never be able to reach the level that proclaims them to be masterful of the area. This further supports the concept that success is influenced by both opportunity and
Gladwell begins the first chapter of this book by writing that there is something “profoundly wrong with the way we make sense of success.” After introducing a hockey player and his success, he begins to break down what many would typically attribute to his success; pure talent, …show more content…
As he writes, there is a “magic number” one must hit in order to obtain excellence in an area; 10,000 hours. He writes, "ten thousand hours is the magic number of greatness." One must put in the hours in order to receive the output of success. He supports this by using Mozart as an example. While we see him as a prodigy today, Mozart composed his first masterly level piece at the age of 21; he had been composing for well over ten years at this point. Even somebody we see to be inherently gifted becomes successful as a reaction of his efforts and hard work to get to that point. He continues to support his finding by comparing The Beatles and Bill Gates, which further show the result of practice across two different disciplines, proving the concept universally. Additionally, Gladwell ties this into to support the fact that opportunity is key in someone's success. Effort and opportunity work hand in hand; without practice, one will never become skilled in an area. However, the opportunity to be able to practice plays a key factor as well; without the opportunity to practice, one would never be able to reach the level that proclaims them to be masterful of the area. This further supports the concept that success is influenced by both opportunity and