A question as to what I would spend 10 years or 10,000 hours to become a master of is quite difficult to answer. My first thought would be something practical, a skill I could use my whole life; Math. Then I realized if I had to spend 10 years learning about Math… I would be absolutely miserable.  Then I thought of activities I’d enjoy and could still be useful like cooking, hunting, or even sewing. That way, I could mend and take care of loved ones. I also thought of skills I could master for personal gain, such as singing, acting, dancing and the stock market. I would simply become as master at these to be better than everyone and let that pave my future. But I really don’t fancy learning each of those for a total of 10,000 hours seeing as it would only bring fame, fortune, but not satisfaction. I could study listening or talking for 10 years. Become a master at persuading and helping others, but it still doesn’t feel like I would be fulfilled. A different language such as Italian or Spanish would be useful and maybe interesting to become a master of seeing as how it’s easier to get jobs when bilingual. Even then I wouldn’t feel satisfied enough with that.  There are other activities that would be interesting to master such as Buddhism, reading people, piano, art, etc.  One subject I would love to master would be science, study the art of the human body. I would try and develop cures for diseases but this requires Math and that I cannot do.

This question is still difficult to answer. One of the skills I wouldn’t mind mastering is Yoga.. I am a person who is easily riled up, stressed, and not flexible. I would love to use yoga to find my center, be able to become calm, relax and handle situations rationally. I feel like being a master at yoga would help my views and make me a more peaceful person. Also, it would help me become a healthier person. But yoga is too structured for me, too many rules. After much thought I decided I would want to spend 10 years mastering Creativity.  This skill can be used anywhere and everywhere. It would benefit me on stage when improving, when cooking, sewing, thinking, learning, etc. I feel like being able to creatively think and write would help me in school, with other people, in my career. Creativity can be expressed through singing, dancing, painting, and even dressing up. I feel creativity could not only benefit me personally but also those around me. It would certainly come in handy when trying to think of birthday or Christmas gifts. Yes, I would love to master Creativity. How that would be possible? No idea. I think just paying attention to everything and everyone would certainly help, and just being you. I would not mind spending a total of 10,000 hours mastering how to be a more creative human being.

The Matthew Effect

I hate sports. So I had to read this story a couple of times before getting a grasp on what the question was asking me. When people hear the word, “Success” they usually automatically think of money. Money equals power, which equals success. Traditional notions of success usually consist of rising to popularity or power, due to a family’s name, people you know, or money. Gladwell states, “You can't buy your way into Major Junior A hockey. It doesn't  matter  who  your  father  or mother  is, or who  your grandfather  was,  or  what  business  your  family  is in.  Nor does  it matter  if you  live in  the  most  remote  corner  of  the most  northerly  province  in  Canada.  If  you  have  ability, the vast network  of hockey scouts  and  talent  spotters  will find  you,  and  if  you  are  willing  to  work  to  develop  that ability,  the  system  will  reward  you. “This is what true success should be. Talent should be what fuels success in life, no matter where they come from. He’s saying that it doesn’t matter what you’re from, if you have talent then you have the best chance to succeed. I can relate to this because I come from a very small town, Woonsocket, in the smallest state, Rhode Island. My dream is to become an actress but seeing all these younger kids and teens already living my dream, discourages me. I feel that coming from a “nowhere” will put me at a disadvantage to the kids coming from “somewhere”, from families with big names and money.

Gladwell also mentions how the hockey players who just miss the deadline (even the day after) will have an extra year to practice compared to kids who turn their age just a few months before the deadline. “It's simply that in Canada the eligibility cutoff for age-class hockey is January 1. A boy, who turns ten on January 2, then could be playing alongside someone who doesn't turn ten until the end of the year— and at that age, in preadolescence, a twelvemonth gap in age represents an enormous difference in physical maturity.” This puts the older children at an advantage, seeing as older means wiser in this sport. This notion is thoroughly backed up by the roster that Gladwell shows. Most of the players that were on the team were born in January, February, or March. "But I looked through it, and what she was saying just jumped out at me. For some reason, there were an incredible number of January, February, and March birth dates." After these months, the number of players born in the remaining months lessened. “In any elite group of  hockey players—the very best of the best—40 percent of the players will have been born between January and March, 30 percent between April and June, 20 percent  between July and September, and 10 percent between October and December”

Therefore, in this hockey league what matters are knowledge, talent, and luck. I would think those kids who are born in the first three months are lucky, they have a whole nether year to become better than the kids they’ll compete against, the ones born in the later months.