"Outliers" and a New Outlook by Rhiannon

"Outliers" and a New Outlook by Rhiannon - July 2013 Scholarship Essay

   In my senior year of High School, my Advanced Composition Teacher introduced our class to the book Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell. I am not a huge fan of reading and this book just seemed like another daunting task on the journey to graduating. However, after one chapter of reading, Gladwell had me reeled in to this new concept. He examined success in several different environments. In my final year before college, I had been searching for the answer to success, and this seemed like it could be helpful.    Outliers is the best book I've ever read for school because it made me think; and I mean REALLY THINK. I began to question everything. One of the reasons for my questioning is Gladwell's explanation for success throughout different cultures. Malcolm Gladwell uses several examples in this book including dates. He tells a story about professional athletes; he explains that people born within a certain window were more likely to be successful. This made me question whether or not I'd made the cut. He also talks about "the 10,000 Hour rule, in which the key to success in any area is pracitcing it over and over. This made me question how dedicated I was willing to be in each of my areas of interest. This book made me realize that there are many ingredients in the recipe of success. Some of these ingredients include a little luck, a lot of hard work, and the right environment to thrive. I took bits and pieces from Outliers, and plan to keep them in mind while continuing through college and the rest of my life. I've never been this effected by a book. Outliers didn't seem like an assignment, it was more like a guide in life. I was excited to read chapter after chapter.