Speaking of how it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert, this is a great article about Dan McLaughlin who is putting Malcolm Gladwell’s theory to the test. Dan quit his job in 2009 to learn golf and try to become a professional golfer:
There are more than 27 million people in this country who play golf. There are 125 permanent spots on the PGA Tour. Smith has told Dan the odds of him earning one of those spots are astronomically long. He picked golf, Dan says, because he wanted something not impossible but close. He grants that there’s a “99 percent chance I’m not going to become a PGA golfer.” But that’s not the point.
“Basically,” he told the people at the conference, “what I’m trying to do with this project is demonstrate how far you’re able to go if you’re willing to put in the time.”