Striving towards Excellence

-Karthik Gurumurthy

You know how we often look at superstars like Joe Root consistently scoring centuries in Tests on the cricket field, Novak Djokovic dominating tennis, or Elon Musk revolutionizing industries, and think, "Man, they're just naturally gifted"? Well, here's the fascinating truth: it's not just about being born lucky or talented.

There was this brilliant researcher named Anders Ericsson who discovered something amazing - it typically takes about 10 years or 10,000 hours of what he called "deliberate practice" to become truly exceptional at something. Malcolm Gladwell actually wrote about this in his book "Outliers," showing how this pattern keeps popping up among top performers. Though it's not just about hitting that magic number - there are other factors too.

But here's why this is such great news: it means success isn't some exclusive club for the naturally gifted! Think about it - we're living in an age where we have more access to information than ever before. Our grandparents would have given anything for the resources we can access with just a few clicks!

Want to know what this "deliberate practice" looks like in real life? Take Michael Phelps' story - it'll blow your mind. While other swimmers were taking it easy after the Olympics, this guy was still grinding away in the pool. He pushed himself so hard in practice that his goggles would sometimes break! There's this amazing moment where his goggles filled with water during an Olympic race, but because he'd practiced so intensely - even in the worst conditions - he didn't panic. He just thought, "I've been here before," and kept swimming.

Or take Michael Jordan - instead of obsessing over what his competitors were doing, he focused on being so good that they had to worry about him! As his trainer Tim Grover put it, Jordan didn't study the competition - he made the competition study him.

The secret sauce? It's about consistently working on getting better at what matters most in your field. This could mean dedicating time each day to reading up on your industry, soaking up knowledge from podcasts, finding mentors who've been there and done that, getting those important certifications, and sharing what you learn with others. It's like building a muscle - you've got to keep at it regularly to see results.

Remember this: those moments of hard work when nobody's watching? That's what transforms you from good to great. As Phelps said, "It's what you do in the dark that brings you to light."