Just a quick note, writing this on the way back from a week of winter sun which frankly, had to be done.

So feeling refreshed and in reflective mood, I’ve been really enjoying a book recommended by one of my clients – ‘outliers,’ by Malcolm Gladwell.

It’s a fascinating read about success, or rather people who have achieved the incredible. Examples covered are diverse, from Bill Gates to the Beatles, and essentially Gladwell unravels the myth that geniuses are simply ‘naturally gifted – end of story’.

With case study after case study, all highly entertaining, he points out significant and undeniable factors that make the key difference. Whether it be timing, being presented with a gifted opportunity, or cultural legacy, without these factors it is highly questionable whether the levels of success would have been achieved.

For instance, regarding the fab four, it’s easy just to think of them as a rare collection of talent who did great things, (they obviously were talented). And yet did you know as part of learning the ropes as a band they played in strip clubs in Hamburg? Most notably, this was part of a format in such clubs where bands played continuously (as customers frequently arrived then left), for hours at a time. The Beatles did so for up to eight hours a night, 270 times over an 18 months period. All before they made it big.

This meant that when they got their break, they had performed live an incredible 1200 times- more than most bands do in their whole career!

To quote Philip Norman, author of Beatles biography ‘shout’… “they were no good on stage when they went and they were very good when they came back… they sounded like no one else. It was the making of them.”

This chapter, which includes other revealing examples, left me with the re-enforced belief that you should find something you love doing, and find a way to do it as much as you can. Ideally…make a living from it!

Finally, amongst other things the book also cites cultural backgrounds and beliefs as whilst an important part of our history, can sometimes hold us back.

That’s partly why I love what I do, as I help people identify any unwanted beliefs and change them, so they can go on to do great things. And they do.

As for outliers, it will challenge you to make the most of your potential.

Highly recommended.

Stephen