On practice

Itzhak Perlman, Israeli-American violinist. Arguably the best violinist alive today. 16 Grammy Awards, 4 Emmy Awards, and a Presidential Medal of Freedom.

You may be familiar with “The 10,000 Hour Rule.”

The idea that world class performers in a given field are able to achieve greatness through 10,000 hours of deliberate practice. Raw talent isn’t the secret. It’s practice.

The 10,000 hour rule has been a concept in psychology since the 70s, and it gained traction in popular culture when Malcolm Gladwell wrote about it in his 2008 book, Outliers.

“Ten thousand hours is the magic number of greatness.” - Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers

But it’s not just about putting time in. The 10,000 hour rule only works with “deliberate practice.” Deliberate practice is purposeful and systematic. It involves sustained focused attention and a specific goal of improving performance.

Image source: Mastery through Deliberate Practice

My high school basketball coach didn’t subscribe to any psychology journals, but he knew this intuitively. He often said:

“Practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice makes permanent. Perfect practice makes perfect.”

Scientists argue about how much practice matters compared to natural talent. But nearly everyone agrees that practice matters.

Itzhak Perlman is one of the finest violinists alive today. Several years ago, Perlman agreed to attend a charity reception after one of his concerts in Vienna. Tickets for the champagne reception were sold for the equivalent of five hundred American dollars per guest.

At the reception, while the guests mingled, Itzhak Perlman stood in a roped-off area flanked by security guards. One by one the guests were led into the roped-off area and introduced to Perlman. As one man entered the roped-off area, he stretched out his hand, shook hands with the violinist, and said, “Mr. Perlman, you were phenomenal tonight. Absolutely amazing.” Perlman smiled and thanked the man graciously for the compliment. The man continued, “All my life I have had a great love of the violin, and I have heard every great living violinist, but I have never heard anyone play the violin as brilliantly as you did tonight.” Perlman smiled again but said nothing, and the man continued, “You know, Mr. Perlman, I would give my whole life to be able to play the violin like you did tonight.”

Perlman smiled once more and said, “I have.”

- From The Rhythm of Life, by Matthew Kelly