THE 10,000 HOURS MYTH

by | Oct 24, 2023 | Weekly Blog

You may have noticed that my ‘Weekly’ Newsletter has not been quite as regular as usual this year. I can only apologise, and have resolved to do a much better job for the rest of the year.

Read on, but don’t forget to check out my GUARANTEED MONEY-BACK RESULTS ONLINE PROGRAMMES BELOW.

My weak excuse is that I have been very busy, just like everybody else. This is true. My clients are posting huge international successes, and these do not happen without a lot of effort by both coach and client. I have also been researching my next book, on the subject of LUCK. This project has consumed my time, but it will be worth it. These are the two comments that recur time and time again in my discussions about luck to the point where they become worrying.

  • The harder you practice, the luckier you get.
  • It takes at least 10,000 hours of practice to be an expert.

Without doubt there is a LOT of TRUTH in both these statements. But they are quoted as if they are the WHOLE TRUTH, and nothing could be further FROM THE TRUTH. The reason that the last statement in particular worries me is that it can be a powerful negative self-fulfilling prophecy. It also does not give enough credit to innate talent, or to the power of accelerated learning delivered by skilful coaching.

How many people will be put off learning a new skill when they work out that 10,000 hours will take them at least 10 years to clock up?

The 10,000 hours myth surfaced in a paper published by Ericsson in 1993. It is a brilliant paper, 40 pages long, extremely technical, and definitely not an easy read. Which might be why the 10,000 hours conclusions are not as clear as some might believe. When writing a scientific paper the biggest challenge is to eliminate what the statisticians call the ‘confounding factors’ which can skew the results.

Let me explain. Do you think a kid who clocks up 10,000 hours of deep violin practice is going to be the average kid next door, with average parents, earning an average income, who have an average interest in music?

I don’t think so, and to be fair neither did Ericsson and his colleagues. Of course this talented and conscientious kid wholly deserves our respect. However, I’m more interested in the kid from the ghetto who does not have these advantages, who improvises, and who finds other ways that allows talent to surface. The kid who has fun, experiments, and does not take 10,000 hours to be an expert.

This Newsletter was intended to announce my new six-week online programmes with lots of details, but guess what? I’m out of time, so I’ll just give you the titles. Email me doc@drstephensimpson.com and I’ll share all the missing details and more.

I am so confident that it will not take you 10,000 hours to get results that each programme has a GUARANTEED no questions asked FULL MONEY BACK offer. If after 14 days you decide not to continue with your programme I will send you a full refund. So you having nothing to lose, and everything to gain. No excuses for procrastination.

The programmes are:

  • GET LUCKY NOW
  • LOSE WEIGHT WITHOUT DIETING
  • CONFIDENCE NOW
  • MINDFULNESS FOR HEALTH, WEALTH, AND HAPPINESS
  • GET RESULTS NOW
  • MAGIC GOLF WITH GAIN NOT PAIN
  • YOUR ZEN MIND FOR WINNING
  • EASY LIFE
  • ZEN POKER
  • THE SPORTING EDGE

I look forward to your comments and questions – doc@drstephensimpson.com

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Coaching & Consultations

Ready to Work with Dr. Simpson?

This is the place to book consultation sessions and join Dr. Simpson’s popular one-on-one coaching programs. Dr Simpson coaches champions, but everyone is welcome to
use these services!

Dr Simpson employs many different techniques, not least neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), Hypnosis and Mindset coaching.

Coaching & Consultations

Ready to Work with Dr. Simpson?

This is the place to book consultation sessions and join Dr. Simpson’s popular one-on-one coaching programs. Dr Simpson coaches champions, but everyone is welcome to
use these services!

Dr Simpson employs many different techniques, not least neuro-linguistic programming (NLP), Hypnosis and Mindset coaching.

Dr Stephen Simpson