August 15, 2016 WHAT IN DAMNATION IS AN OUTLIER???

While out running over the weekend, to get my mind off the scorching conditions, I started to think about elite runners. FYI-on the totem pole of running, I am at the bottom covered in the dirt they use to keep it from falling over--but anyways-- while I was "shlepping" through my five mile run at a 9:30 pace--Almaz Ayana of Ethiopia ran the 10,000 meter (6.2 miles) in 29:17.45. --- UNDER A 5 MINUTE MILE--setting  a world record! IN CASE I HAVE CONFUSED YOU--a "shlepper" is a Yiddish word--my grandfather always called me a shlepper when I was a kid and told me it meant lazy---anyhow--sorry to digress. And just yesterday, Jamaica's Usain Bolt won his third straight 100 meter title with a 9.81 second sprint--setting another world record. TOTALLY AMAZING--again while I BARELY schlepped through my 4.2 mile run in  the blazing heat--even walking the last half mile home........... So I had to ask myself, What do these amazing runners have that I don't?  TO BEGIN WITH-- genetics, youth, training experts AND I am sure the list goes on and on. BUT WHAT MAKES THEM THE BEST? This question led me to the book OUTLIERS-The story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell. SORRY TO DIGRESS AGAIN--but the word outliers is a strange word which means, "Those people whose achievements fall outside normal experience." In his book, Gladwell seeks to understand why some people succeed while others never reach their potential. It is divided into chapters where Gladwell examines why Asians excel in math, Canadians are better at hockey,  why brilliance doesn't guarantee  success, and even why Jewish lawyers are so successful in New York City. Gladwell believes there are many variables to success--- birthplace, birth order, birth year, family, culture, generation, opportunity.  I especially enjoyed the chapter on the"ten-thousand-hour rule." In this chapter,  Gladwell looks at the Beatles, Bill Gates, Bill Joy, Mozart  and even hockey greats and measures them against this rule. This is a fascinating read at 336 pages, a lazy 4.2 mile run, but it is filled with interesting ideas that will give you a whole new perspective on what it takes to be successful--it's more complex than you think!