Practice makes perfect: Why it takes 10,000 hours to be a success at anything, according to a top academicBy Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 12:57 PM on 19th October 2008

We have all heard the saying that practice makes perfect.

Nowa top sociologist has added weight to this age old adage by claimingthat you must spend 10,000 hours honing your skills if you want to be asuccess at anything.

Academic Macolm Gladwell, whosebooks have become required reading within the Conservative Party, saysyou need to put in this time over a decade to get to the top of yourchosen field.

And he backs up his theory by citingsports stars such as Boris Becker, Jonny Wilkinson, Tiger Woods and theVenus sisters, who have all become world-beaters because of theobsessive devotion they have shown to their game since childhood.

However, ability, according to Mr Gladwell, is just one factor insuccess. Work ethic, luck, a strong support base and even being born inthe right year play a role.Justas the Beatles rose to fame with the explosion of pop culture in the1960s, so Bill Gates’s fascination with the ASR-33 Teletype that heused at school in 1968 placed a shy boy on track to become one of theworld’s richest men.

“No one – not rock stars, notprofessional athletes, not software billionaires and not even geniuses– ever makes it alone,”writes Mr Gladwell in his book.

Mr Gladwell became one of the world’s most influential sociologistswith the publication of The Tipping Point in 2000, which described howsmall actions could trigger social epidemics.

His new book argues that there is no such thing as a “self-made man”.

Instead,the years spent intensively focused on their area of expertise placethe world’s most successful people above their peers.

Much of Britain’s Olympic success, he argues,is down to a combination of natural ability and sheer dedication.

Victoria Pendleton’s emphatic gold in the women’s sprint cycling in Beijing came only after humiliating defeat in Athens four years ago.

After training for four hours a day, six days a week the 27-year-old finally reaped the rewards.

RebeccaAdlington, the 19-year-old swimmer who won two gold medals at theBeijing Games, has put in an estimated 8,840 hours of training sincethe age of 12.

Bill Furniss, her coach, said: “WhenI first saw her, what stood out was the fact that she was so willing totake the pain and make sacrifices.”

Such dedication is also apparent in musicians. Maxim Vengerov, 34, is one of the world’s greatest violinists.

He was born in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk and, after being given a miniature fiddle at the age of four, displayed outstanding aptitude.

Histalent was matched by an immense work ethic. He practised seven hours aday, giving his first recital at the age of five and winning his firstinternational prize at 15.

Mr Vengerov said: 'My motherwould get home at 8pm, cook dinner and then teach me the violin untilfour in the morning. As a four-year-old boy it was torture. But Ibecame a violinist within two years.”'

Frank Furedi, professor of sociology at the University of Kent, said those who put in many hours of practice effectively make their own luck:

'They work relentlessly hard, which means when their luck comes they are ready for it,' he added.

ten thousand hours of practice is required to achieve the level of mastery associated with being a world-class expert -- in anything. In study after study, of composers, basketball players, fiction writers, ice skaters, concert pianists, chess players, master criminals, and what have you, this number comes up again and again. Ten thousand hours is the equivalent to roughly three hours per day, or twenty hours per week, of practice over ten years. Of course, this doesn't address why some people don't seem to get anywhere when they practice, and why some people get more out of their practice sessions than others. But no one has yet found a case in which true world-class expertise was accomplished in less time. It seems that it takes the brain this long to assimilate all that it needs to know to achieve true mastery. (courtesy of Tertiary Education)

# at 1 hour … you know some basics

# at 10 hours … you have a pretty good grasp of the basics

# at 100 hours … you are fairly expert

# at 1000 hours … you are an experienced expert

# at 10000 hours … you are a master

If you know your limit -- in this case, the almost mythical 10k of investment -- you can offer a realizable training program for people. And that circuit of gradual achievement and self-esteem reinforcement is maybe vital for someone to continue.

While 10,000 hours over 10 years is a daunting proposition, consider this:

# 1000 hours is pretty doable. That’s a little less than a year of full-time work.

# 100 hours is even more achievable…you could do that over a few months on the side, or just slam through it in a very intense couple of weeks.

# Even spending 10 hours practicing something is going to make you significantly better at it. If you spent 10 hours practicing one song, or learning how to juggle, or learning how to bowl strikes…you’re going to learn something.

# One hour? That’s worthwhile too. You could spend an hour writing your signature over and over again to make it cooler. I’ve done that at least a couple of times in my life.

成功之花，人们往往惊羡它现时的明艳，然而之初，它的芽儿却浸透了奋斗的泪泉，洒满了牺牲的血雨。（冰心）