absurd effort
In “The Soloist” there is a scene which depicts a teenage Nathaniel Ayers laying in bed with with cello strings drawn onto arm with a pen. Before going to sleep -and possibly during- he would play this “instrument” to improve his cello skills.
A little much, right?
Malcom Gladwell in his book, “Outliers: The Story of Success” claims that 10,000 hours of practice in one’s field is needed before becoming “great”.
He sifts through the timelines of giants like Mozart, The Beatles, Bill Gates, and even famous hockey players demonstrating that, no matter what field, good becomes great at the 10,000 hour mark. It’s not genius, it’s time and focus.
This got me thinking…
I’ve had students that spend every last waking minute in the studio training their asses off, immersing themselves in the academic study of Cuban dance and culture on their off time, and spend the remaining time on the dance floor.
I’ve heard accounts of students closing their office doors to get extra practice at work…dancers using household items to train Clave and pulse… students who take 2 hour drives to get to us. Not to mention some kept up these wicked commutes for over a year!
The list of goes on and on. I came to the conclusion that it doesn’t even matter exactly WHAT you do. I just think that in order to bring about some major change in yourself and/or others and your environment, it usually takes absurd measures. Call it absurd effort.
Take a moment to reflect on some of your greatest accomplishments. Now think about all the crap you had to go through to get there. Did you have to do something that many of us on the “outside” would find ridiculous? Or maybe we just wouldn’t understand?
I am willing to bet so. And if your friends find it ridiculous, you are probably doing something right.
So when you gear up for your next big thing, remember that there is going to be crap piled high and deep. The physical world is resistant to change, and it requires incredible energy to bring it about.
Understand this investment upfront and I think you will be in a much better position to take measures so stupid, so absurd, so weird….that it actually brings about the results you seek.
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I love this post. One of my non-dancing friends has become frustrated with the energy I put into dancing, as if it takes something away from her. She can’t believe how much time I am spending on dancing and with my “dancing friends.” She has no idea how much I love it and how hard I have to work to become good at it. I guess it seems absurd to her, but she doesn’t get that I love the absurdity of it.