I am not sure when the "how to books" first came into vogue, but there is no doubt that you can find one for any topic imaginable. It seems to me that the best "how to books" ought to have something that sets them apart; like "the art of" something or other. Most likely Sun Tzu started the fad with his classic treatise "The Art of War" written sometime during the 6th century B.C. Since then there have been all sorts of volumes published as the Art of ... It seems to me that the fundamental problem with the art of anything has to do with work involved in mastering the "art." I suppose there are a few "gifted" people in the world, but it is surprising how much work goes into developing their "gift."
Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers repeatedly mentions that successful people do not achieve their competency overnight, rather they are the product of the 10,000 hour rule; that is, according to Gladwell, it takes about 10,000 hours of practicing a particular skill to achieve mastery. That translates to 4.8 years of 40 hour weeks devoted exclusively to mastering a particular skill. If this is true, and it probably is, there is little wonder that there are very few people in the world who are masters of their trade.
I was thinking that I ought to devote myself to mastering the art of leisure. I had been looking around for someone who had put in the requisite hours perfecting their native gift when I happened to observe my three year old grandson chasing bubbles. I thought to myself: "Even if he started the day he was born, he is still 1.8 years shy of perfection, so, how could he be so adept at the art of leisure?" I tried to engage him in a conversation about the matter but he seemed more interested in popping bubbles than discussing the philosophy of aesthetics. So, I took a few pictures and then fell asleep under a tree - watching him run around just wore me out.
Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers repeatedly mentions that successful people do not achieve their competency overnight, rather they are the product of the 10,000 hour rule; that is, according to Gladwell, it takes about 10,000 hours of practicing a particular skill to achieve mastery. That translates to 4.8 years of 40 hour weeks devoted exclusively to mastering a particular skill. If this is true, and it probably is, there is little wonder that there are very few people in the world who are masters of their trade.
I was thinking that I ought to devote myself to mastering the art of leisure. I had been looking around for someone who had put in the requisite hours perfecting their native gift when I happened to observe my three year old grandson chasing bubbles. I thought to myself: "Even if he started the day he was born, he is still 1.8 years shy of perfection, so, how could he be so adept at the art of leisure?" I tried to engage him in a conversation about the matter but he seemed more interested in popping bubbles than discussing the philosophy of aesthetics. So, I took a few pictures and then fell asleep under a tree - watching him run around just wore me out.
RSS Feed