Deliberate Practice

I'm not sure where I learned about a book called Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else by Geoff Colvin, but I'm glad I did.

One of the factors that seem to separate the "good enough" from the "great" is something researchers call deliberate practice. I'm trying to figure out what, exactly, deliberate practice is.

Colvin: "It definitely isn't what most of us do on the job every day, which begins to explain the great mystery of the workplace—why we're surrounded by so many people who have worked hard for decades but have never approached greatness. Deliberate practice is also not what most of us do when we think we're practicing golf or the oboe or any of our other interests. Deliberate practice is hard. It hurts. But it works. More of it equals better performance. Tons of it equals great performance."

In the video below, Stephen Cannell tells us what we hear all the time, "Write every day." He even gives a little hint about what might happen with our skill set if we do.

Writing every day isn't an issue for me. Doing the right kind of writing can be. I'm hoping that by studying Talent Is Overrated, I can tap into that well of passion I need in order to do something every day that hurts. If I shoot for the moon, I might at least land among the stars.








CR: On Edge by Barbara Fister

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