Malcolm Gladwell asks this question in Outliers: Why do some people succeed, living remarkably productive and impactful lives, while so many more never reach their potential? Gladwell applies logic to define why certain people succeed in their field, such as: birthdays, hours of practice, cultural background, correlation between agriculture and academic schedule and more.
Gladwell redefines ‘self-made’ by saying that no one comes from nowhere to succeed; that person had many factors that helped s/he reach their goals: equipment available, hours of practice, connections, and birthdays. However, I disagree with his definition of a self-made person. Someone could have every advantage, something they’re interested in freely available and not be motivated enough to pursue or practice something in order to be successful.
The end of the book was a nice surprise because it was about the success of his own family and eventually his own journey of success from rural Ontario to New York Times Best Selling author.
Outliers was a fantastic read that makes you think about success in a deeper, analytical way. My fingers are still crossed that my sons have the potential to be in MLB despite their birthdays;)
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