Earl Nightingale, an early pioneer of personal development, once said that “success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal.” By that definition anyone that has set a goal, and is in the process of achieving it, is successful.
So I was intrigued when I picked up a copy of Malcomb Gladwell’s book, Outliers – The Story of Success. Who would Mr. Gladwell consider successful? What were his prerequisites? What would he conclude led to their success?
Gladwell says opportunity – being in the right place at the right time, is essential. That’s a major reason Bill Gates and the Beatles, among others, achieved worldly success.
It’s also 10,000 hours. Mr. Gladwell did extensive research and discovered that successful people spend 10,000 hours or more mastering their craft. He found few prominent musicians and athletes that would admit God-given talent played a role in their success. It was preparation.
I generally agree with both of these conclusions. Timing is everything. But I must steal another quote from Earl Nightingale here. He said once that “luck is what happens when preparedness meets opportunity.”
If Bill Gates wasn’t intellectually aware when his moment to shine came along then the world would be much different today. It was Gates’ endless study, easily above 10,000 hours, that made him an expert in the computer industry.
The mistake that Gladwell makes in Outliers is assuming that being in the right place at the right time PLUS spending 10,000 hours preparing EQUALS success. He’s leaving out the two most crucial assets that every successful person must have BEFORE opportunity and preparation ever come into play:
1. A Goal.
2. A burning desire to accomplish that goal.
Without a goal, and a burning desire to accomplish it, it won’t matter where you are or how much time it took you to get there. You’ll be like a cork in the ocean, a ship without a rudder. Success will elude you. And your bank account.
