You Can’t Be Extraordinary Without Giving Extra
In Malcolm Gladwell's bestseller, Outliers, he shares numerous stories of exceptional people - think geniuses, The Beatles, and the guy who wrote the code for most computer operating systems - all who were fortunate enough to have something that most people don't have: time. His concept that he dubbed "The 10,000 Hour Rule" was just one chapter of many and yet it was the message that stuck for many people. In his more recent Master Class he discusses how the rule has been misconstrued and used to argue points that he never intended. His original purpose, he says, was to show how much time and practice it takes to become really great at something. 10,000 hours of practice would take a minimum of 10 years to achieve, which he says would be impossible to do alone.
The whole point he was trying to make is that some of these people received opportunities that others didn't; opportunities that gave them more hours practicing than other people at the time had. Bill Joy, the aforementioned computer genius, was one of the few people in the country who had access to a computer that allowed him to code for hours. Bill Gates, philanthropist and creator of Microsoft, was in the same situation; he had access to computers and time to code that very few people in the world had at the time. The Beatles were fortunate enough to be invited to play in Hamburg Germany at a rare gig that had them playing 8 hours a day, 7 days a week, which meant they were racking up hours of play that most musicians won't get in a lifetime.
I would be leading you amiss if I left you thinking that these people becoming exceptional had nothing to do with their talent or effort. While their opportunities may have been unique, they still had to say yes. Pure chance may have had Bill Gates within walking distance of a computer, but he still had to sneak out of his house in the middle of the night to use it. The Beatles had to say yes to Hamburg and they had to say yes to 8 hours of playing, something that I'm sure any musicians out there would agree is no easy thing.
Some of you reading this may have the opportunity you need to put in the hours, you just need to take it. Some of you may need to create the opportunities for yourself. What I love about the Beatles' story is that they didn't get so good because they were disciplined at practice. They got so good because they were in a situation where all they could do was practice. So if there is something you want to do or be better at, you need to figure out what your Hamburg is. What is going to be the thing that will force you to give a little extra?
When you are just starting out at something it is very difficult to form the habits that lead to extraordinary because the beginning is… well… it's boring. The beginning is learning chords, not songs. The beginning is working your butt off and not losing any weight. The beginning is creating a Newsletter that only has two email addresses on it, and both of them are yours. The people that get past that beginning are the people that - by either opportunity or creation - find themselves in situations where they have no choice but to put in the hours.
Create Your Hamburg
For those of you that will not be getting an invitation any time soon, let's see what we can do to ensure that we put in the hours of practice needed to get to where we want to go. The following is a list of ideas to get your wheels turning. If you don't see anything relevant for your goal please reach out via the Contact page and I’ll be happy to brainstorm some specific ideas.
I want to…
Improve my presentation skills
Start a book club (or something like it) and lead the discussion. The skills required to be a good presenter to your team or your clients are the same ones needed to just talk to people. Create a situation that increases the hours you spend talking in front of an audience, it doesn't matter how small. The more you talk, the more comfortable you'll get. Does the idea of that sound terrifying? Start with something more simple. Call a friend. Start up a conversation with the person at the grocery store. If the idea of doing that still sounds terrible, then that means spending time doing it will help you.
Reach a fitness goal
Join a club or find a fitness friend. If you make plans to exercise with someone, then you won't be able to back out. If neither of those is available, then text someone or post on social media. If we keep our goals to ourselves then we'll only let ourselves down if we quit, and usually we're okay with that. Never underestimate the power of accountability.
Find a better job or get that promotion
It's very easy to think that in order to land a job that requires more, we need to wait for the job that gives us more. In other words, we need to find a job that gives us the official experience needed to apply to a better job. Most of the time, however, that just isn't true. Looking for AWS experience? Create a personal project for yourself that will allow you to practice that. Want managing experience? Find a volunteer role somewhere that will give it to you. Experience, is experience. It doesn't really matter where it comes from.
Meet New People
Making friends, especially as a post-college adult, can be a very awkward experience. But your chances of meeting new people will greatly increase if you are around new people. Join a club (book club, church group, running group, etc.) and commit to showing up.
Write a Book/Screenplay/whatever
Whatever it is you are trying to write, the key here is to just write. Join a writing group or start a blog. Do something to make it feel like a commitment, anything that will make it more than you just sitting at your desk. If you are able to dine in restaurants wherever you are living, try going to a local coffee shop. By making an event of it you will be more likely to stick with it for longer.
Skill up in X
Take a certification course. There are a lot of beginner courses these days that you can do online for free. It will be something that will help you get through the material to expand your knowledge and decide if you want to keep going down that route. It's a lot easier to commit to a course than it is to just sift through a google search or YouTube. Not to mention the feeling of accomplishment you get when you finish and it's usually something you can add to a resume or your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn Learning is a great place to start, and you can get one month for free.
Accomplish X
No matter what it is you are trying to accomplish, there are usually other people that are trying to do it too. Surround yourself with those people. Join a Facebook group, follow them on social media, see what they are doing. Creating your Hamburg may not always be easy to do, but if you are around people that are talking about their similar goals and ideas, then that will overflow on to you. Surround yourself with people that give extra, and you will be inspired to give a little extra too.
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