Where does greatness come from? Why was Ted Williams the greatest hitter in the history of baseball? What made Mozart one of history's most talented composers? Why was Shakespeare such a brilliant writer?
The typical answer most people give is that greatness is innate — you're either born with certain gifts and talents or you're not.
But recent research suggests otherwise. Greatness is in fact made through years of hard, deliberate practice.
My guest today has been at the forefront of this research on the science of expertise. His name is Anders Ericsson and he's a professor of psychology at Florida State University. He, along with co-author Robert Pool, have recently published a book highlighting Ericsson's research into the true nature and malleability of talent. It's called Peak: Secrets From the New Science of Expertise. Today on the show, Anders and I discuss the common misconceptions people have about talent, why the way most people practice leads to mediocre results, and how you can start implementing deliberate practice in your life to master any domain you choose.
Show Highlights
How Anders started researching the science of expertise
How he was able to train a student to memorize a 100-digit number
Why there may be no limit to our ability to improve
The common misconceptions that people have about expertise and talent
Why perfect pitch isn't an innate talent and why you're not born "tone deaf"
Why practice made Mozart a musical prodigy
Why the way you're practicing is making you mediocre, and maybe even worse
The principles of purposeful practice
The limits of purposeful practice
The principles of deliberate practice
Why deliberate practice is hard
Is deliberate practice domain-specific?
The importance of mental representations in deliberate practice
How you can apply deliberate practice when you don't have a coach or teacher
How to apply deliberate practice to amorphous skills like business management and writing
What the "10,000 hours rule" gets wrong about deliberate practice
If you're looking to get better in a certain area of your life, Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertiseis a must read. It's filled with research-backed principles that you can start implementing today to become an expert. You can find out more information about the book at Peakthebook.com.
Listen to the Podcast! (And don't forget to leave us a review!)
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