Wednesday, October 25, 2006

How Stars are Made: The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance I'm a bit pressed for time this morning, so I'm just going to point you to an article in the New York Times I came across a couple of weeks ago that made me want to sit my kids down and talk to them about the importance of early skill development in craft. A Star is Made. By STEPHEN J. DUBNER and STEVEN D. LEVITT Published: May 7, 2006 Here's a teaser... "...the Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance, a 900-page academic book that will be published next month, makes a rather startling assertion: the trait we commonly call talent is highly overrated. Or, put another way, expert performers -- whether in memory or surgery, ballet or computer programming -- are nearly always made, not born. And yes, practice does make perfect. These may be the sort of clichés that parents are fond of whispering to their children. But these particular clichés just happen to be true." For those who want to master craft and know the freedom of expertise, this is an article worth reading. Turns out talent is overrated and hard work is the real key. But not just any hard work...read the article. Ten years to mastery... 7:01:36 AM    comment []

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