Way back in December, I posted about the speed of change, and mentioned that I would revisit that issue in the future. Well, earlier this week, while the auditory portions of my brain listened to a conference call ramble on, the visible portion of my brain, surfed the web with reckless abandon, until I stumbled upon a article about becoming an expert. It was at this point that all of my focus was on this article.
Although the comments after the post debate some of the findings, the writer of the post, Penelope, refers to a Harvard Business Review article entitled The Making of an Expert, where research points to this conclusion
that there is no correlation between IQ and expert performance in fields such as chess, music, sports, and medicine has borne out his findings. The only innate differences that turn out to be significant—and they matter primarily in sports—are height and body size.
Essentially suggesting that to become an expert at something it takes time, training, and desire. The article also points out the importance of a mentor and guide in developing expertise.
I find this interesting to apply to work, but I also find it interesting when we think about ourselves. I can’t remember how many times I have heard people pray to be a “better Christian”. We expect that we can utter a single prayer, and boom the character trait or temptation that we struggle with just disappears! It’s not going to happen like that. Mastery take time. Author Malcolm Gladwell has make famous – ( apparently, as I have not personally read this yet, only references to it, although I have heard him speak, so I think that makes it ok for me to quote him!?!)- a 10,000 hour rule to becoming a expert. That’s 5 years!
So today realize that the world is changing fast around us, but don’t be discouraged if you don’t see the mastery in your life overnight. It takes time. But not just clock time. It takes time working at the problem. It takes time working with a mentor, it takes time studying, praying for change, focusing on the issue. You can change, you can attain mastery.
1 Timothy 4:7 (New International Version)
7Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.
What do you think?