10,000 hours. So say the “experts”. That’s how long you need to practice at something before you can be an “expert” at it. Whatever. Who knows. It’s just a number. Everyone is an expert at something. Actually more than one thing.
Your job. Whatever your job is, if you’ve been doing it for several years then you are an expert at it. If your job is pacing the perimeter of a building in case something unusual were to happen, then that is your expertise. If your “job” is watching cartoons all day long while pretending to look for work, then that is what you are an expert at. See, we are all experts at whatever we do all day long.
Then there’s life expertise. If you’ve grown up in a family where yelling and hurling insults at each other is the norm, then you are an expert at that too. If you hold your feelings in every day while chaos swirls around you, then that is what you are an expert at. If you come home every day and comfort those around you, listen to their problems, help them get back up on their feet, every day, then that is your expertise.
I am an expert at pumping iron. I’ve lifted heavy weights for around 6,000 hours of my life. Not quite 10,000 hours, but think about it. Some things just can’t be done all day long.
I am also an expert at mocking people. For as long as I can remember I’ve entertained my younger siblings, my past girlfriends, and now my current children by role playing stupid characters, in full and proper accents. Stupid characters that think they’re smart.
When my oldest son was a toddler, screaming in the backseat of my car, I invented “The King of the Road”. I would yell at other drivers, point fingers, pretend to get angry. This would send my toddler into fits of laughter. When I became bored of this character I invented “The Elvis of the Road”. A similar character, but done with an Elvis accent, and a few Elvis sayings thrown in. This character got old real quick, so then I invented what was to become a long standing character that survived for years and years.
“The Genius of the Road”. Done with a pompous British accent, there was not very much yelling with this character. He just smugly insulted everyone he laid his eyes on in some ridiculous way, proclaiming everyone around him to be “stupid” and an unnecessarily obstacle in The Genius’ way. For years to come my toddler-to-teenage son begged me to do the Genius of the Road. (in case you’re wondering he’s a very mature 16 year old now, apparently undamaged).
I now have a toddler who’s turning 2 in a couple of weeks. The old mocking genes are tingling as I drive him to daycare.
And now there’s DRAGONE. Me. I am DRAGONE. Apparently, that’s my expertise. Enjoy. Or not. I can’t help it. It’s what I do. It’s what I know. It’s who I am.
DRAGONE out.
The 10000 hours thing is screaming bullshit. It’s a generalized estimate based on only the loosest of understandings back when they just discovered neurogenesis. The claim conveniently leaves out the fact that mental activity and physical are quite different, age plays in, big time, being forced to learn something versus actually wanting to learn it can double the time it takes to master the crap, and the word “mastery” can mean anything from “I suck less at it than 51% of the population” to “I’m qualified to teach a graduate course.”
Your post pretty much sums it up: whatever you do the most is what you’ll “master.” Every bodybuilder knows this on the most fundamental of level. If you lift something heavy once, the body says, “Well, that sucked. I think I’ll rest now.” But if you do it at regular intervals, it says, “Fuck, looks like this is going to keep up, I better prepare for it in case the bastard does it again next week.”
I lifted heavy for 24 years and learned that you can do waaaay more with your body than the pros say you can if you know how to get out of your mind’s way. That No Pain, No Gain bullshit needs to die. Seriously. And you don’t need steroids to heal inflammation.
The really fun stuff about neurogenesis is just starting to be realized and published. Try this on for size: What you BELIEVE about how your brain and body work DETERMINES how your brain and body work. We hypnotize ourselves as a group into accepting certain limitations for all sorts of reasons, from social cohesion to group control, but the limitations mostly aren’t real. They just serve somebody else’s purpose.
Think about it: how awesome AND alienating would it be if you never showed any signs of aging? I’m serious, really think about that. There are pros and cons. It’s just easier to complain about your age along with your friends, ain’t it? Rather than be a freak?
Anyway, I could obviously go on about this all day but then, it’s what I do. No, really, I study and teach this stuff, it’s literally what I do. Here’s a free lesson: If you want to change something, focus on the outcome you want, not the stuff you want to change. Like you said, we master what we practice. Imagine the difference between saying/practicing, “This gut needs to be gone,” versus “I can feel my rectus abdominis getting more and more solid.” Eyes on the prize, baby. Now, go lift something.
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I agree, though in less words than you 🙂 I just came back from the gym so I’ve got to shower before writing my next blog. But I’d like to live to be 1000 years old. there’s a British guy with a long scraggly beard that says its possible, if only i could remember his name. Too lazy to even google lol. Later then, and thanks for reading.
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Google should be your other exercise.
Filling your own head with articles and stories about how you really CAN do that thing you want to do works faster than just throwing effort at it. Clickety-click-click, muscleman.
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lol 🙂
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You sound like my brother…Phil, is that you? Except that he’s a 64 year old bachelor with no kids and never works out, but he has the multiple personality disorder thing too–and he’s hilarious. So are you. Thanks for the comic relief.
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Ilona? How did you find my blog? I was only making up the kids and working out thing! just kidding 😉 thanks for the words of encouragement. And by the way, I NEVER SAID I HAVE MULTIPLE PERSONALITIES !!!
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I found you on Mixtapes and Cupcakes blogroll-Phil…heheh. But you do have multiple personalities-not like Sybil or anything cuz she was sad but in a funny ha ha and much more entertaining way.
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Thanks for laughing 🙂
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I’ve had about 10,000 times of sleep or more. Does that count for being an expert?
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Absolutely, you’re a sleep expert!
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