Perfect Poise, Perfect Life
Bring your body into balance and revolutionise your life
By Noel Kingsley
Publisher Hodder Mobius
AVAILABLE HERE
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We can all become great at something...
There is good news and bad news for all of us if we want to excel at an activity. Do you want to be a world class golfer, star performer, chess champion or expert violinist (me)? Well the good news from research carried out over the last fifteen years is that we do not need to be naturally gifted in order to excel. (Although it probably helps!)
Dr Joseph Mercola reports that British researchers conclude their extensive study of the subject by saying: "The evidence we have surveyed ... does not support the [notion that] excelling is a consequence of possessing innate gifts."
Researchers found that even the most gifted of people didn't manage to get to their high standard without enormous amounts of hard work. I recall Maxim Vengorov the world class violinist saying that he was told as a child that he had a rare gift for the violin. It was because he had this gift that he had to work ten times as hard as other children. Only then would he capitalise on his gift.
Researchers found that as a general rule, people have to work extremely hard for a minimum of ten years before they get to a high level of achievement. It is such a common pattern that it has even become known as the 'Ten Year Rule'. Apparently even Bobby Fischer, the chess champion at 16, had nine years of intensive study first.
So what's the bad news? Just that to get anywhere or achieve anything to a high standard, we need to put an enormous amount of time into practicing our activity. We need to do it regularly, consistently, methodically and be very focused on improving...... Only then will people tell us that we're gifted, and you'll want to sock them in the mouth for not recognising all the hard work you've put into it.
It takes work and it takes time. I guess I'll just have to carry on playing the violin every opportunity and then maybe 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star' may come more easily to my fingertips. Sigh.
Comments
Your little article about "greatness" sounds very much like the same article found in the October 30, 2006 Fortune Magazine. "What It Takes To Be Great". They even used the same examples as you did.
Posted by: Hey There | December 15, 2006 3:02 AM
Yes, It's all come from the same source and comments by the researchers. It's reasuring to know, at least in my own situation as a novice violinist that with a modicum of ability, some hard work can make all the difference and even the greatest performers, who appear to be gifted, didn't get there without a great deal of hard work. What you put in is what you get out. I found the research findings very encouraging and worthy of sharing. :-)
Noel
Posted by: noel | December 15, 2006 8:33 AM
I'm 32 years old and I tooken up violin two & a half years ago. I practice everyday little over one hour and put lot of focus on what i'm practicing. I have times I get really frustrated and want to quit but I don't give up. I really, really with all my heart want to be a accomplished violinist one day. My difficult time now is learning the scales, rythem and beat, counting, playing 8 & 16 notes, shifting, and bowing. I especially have biggest problem with bow shaking when I play in from of audiance. I know its from stage fright and nerves and I hope I can eventually control it. My questions is does all this techques and studying scale come automatically? Does bowing eventually stop shaking in front of crowd even when your at most nervous as time goes on?
One thing I have with violin I fully love and appreciate it. I put all my effort and time into it when I practice. I try to concentrate really hard on what I'm playing.
Jon
Posted by: Jon Wilson | December 12, 2007 5:03 PM