Anders Ericsson is the world’s leading authority on the science of what makes great performers great. If you’ve ever heard of the “10,000-hour rule” you have him to thank. (In a future +1 we’ll talk about the fact that the 10,000 hours idea is a little more nuanced than we’ve been led to believe.)
For now, know this: Anders discovered something special about the absolute best among us.
They have a gift. (No surprises there, eh?)
But guess what?
He discovered something even more amazing.
He discovered that we ALL have the same gift.
The gift is wrapped in a very unassuming package. Nothing fancy. No shiny ribbons or big bows. Just a plain ol’ little box.
But inside that box is magic.
It’s the gift of adaptability. The ability to change. The ability to incrementally Optimize our chosen set of skills and to aggregate and compound those tiny gains over an extended period of time such that we can make the impossible look easy.
The difference between the greatest performers and everyone else?
They’ve simply fully taken advantage of this gift.
Good news: So can you.
Know that the biggest barrier between greatness and you is the incorrect belief that the people you most admire have “it” and you don’t. Anders calls this “the dark side of believing in innate talent.”
Today’s +1. Open up the box. Receive your gift.
And, remember: That gift of adaptability looks best in overalls—with you working hard.
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