All Things Money
Outliers tells the story of modern masters like The Beatles and Bill Gates, pointing to continuous dedication to their craft, resulting in mastery and ultimate success.
While the 10,000 hour rule is not an exact science — some tasks take more or less than 10,000 hours to master — it is nevertheless a useful concept that feels right intuitively. Whether in sports, art or scientific experimentation, it makes sense that the more practice and time devoted to a task, the better the results will likely be.
The SMPY survey demonstrated a high correlation between early cognitive ability (intelligence) and adult achievement. For 45 years, it tracked the careers and accomplishments of 5000 “gifted” individuals, many of whom went on to become high-achieving scientists.
The SMPY data was combined with results from 11 other studies into the link between intelligence and achievement. It found “the kids who test in the top one per cent tend to become our eminent scientists and academics, our Fortune 500 CEOs and federal judges, senators and billionaires”.
Psychologist David Lubinski, who has been involved in SMPY since 1998, said these gifted students, the “mathletes” of the world, can shape the future.
“When you look at the issues facing society now — whether it’s healthcare, climate change, terrorism, energy — these are the kids who have the most potential to solve these problems. These are the kids we’d do well to bet on.” The scientists noted