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Whether it\\u2019s our personal life, relationships, career, hobbies, or any other aspect of our lives, we\\u2019re always striving to become better. It\\u2019s human nature to grow, improve, learn new things, and become more capable. It\\u2019s how we, as humans, have evolved over many years. Today, the same thing applies, but we\\u2019ve focused on shortcuts to success. We\\u2019re constantly looking for the next big thing, the fast track, loophole, hack, and anything that will shortcut the process. Take dieting and exercise for example. Fundamentally we know what it takes to improve your health, lose weight, and become more fit \\u2013 eat healthy foods and exercise. That\\u2019s it. But we have a funny way over overcomplicating things by trying to shortcut the process. Weight loss pills, surgeries, special formula drinks, waist trainers, etc. The list goes on and on of unique ways people have tried to shortcut the process.

The truth is, there is a secret formula. Well, the secret might not be so accurate of a description because everyone knows it already. That is hard work over time. Anything worthwhile doing takes hard work. Malcolm Gladwell coined the term the \\u201c10,000 hour rule\\u201d in his book, Outliers, where he states the key to achieving world-class expertise in any skill, is, to a large extent, a matter of practicing the correct way, for a total of around 10,000 hours. That\\u2019s a lot of hard work. 10,000 hours when broken down equates to 5 years of 40 hour work weeks.

 The Power of a Team

10,000 hours is, as Malcolm Gladwell says, the amount of practice it takes to become an expert. However, after interviewing and analyzing the success of people like Bill Gates, The Beatles, and many other Outliers in their fields, Malcolm concluded that hard work alone isn\\u2019t enough to ensure success. The one critical component that separated those who accomplished great things and those who didn\\u2019t was the support from others.

\\u201cNo one\\u2014not rock stars, not professional athletes, not software billionaires, and not even geniuses\\u2014ever makes it alone\\u201d \\u2013 Malcolm Gladwell

Hard work alone isn\\u2019t enough. You have to surround yourself with a positive sphere of influence. This is the power of leveraging your relationships. So many people work their entire lives to become experts in their field, but never realize their full potential by not building relationships.

Let\\u2019s look at a couple of ways you can both achieve the 10,000 hour rule and develop and grow your sphere on influence.

1. 10,000 hour rule \\u2013 there is no shortcut. As stated above, broken down 10,000 hours is 5 years of 40 hour work weeks, or 2.5 years of 80 hour work weeks, or 10 years of 20 hour work weeks. The math is simple. Spend 10,000 hours, and you will become an expert. There are no shortcuts. So make a plan, put in the work, day in and day out, and you\\u2019ll eventually reach that 10,000 hour milestone.
2. Your sphere of influence \\u2013 from friends to family, peers, coworkers, and acquaintances you are influenced by many different people. Make sure those influences are positive. Surround yourself with people who push you to grow, challenge you, make you think differently, and ultimately support you in your path to success.

If you couple hard work and the support of those around you, then you will have a much better opportunity to reach your full potential.

You Are Capable

Unfortunately, there are no real shortcuts. You likely won\\u2019t achieve overnight success, although one day people will look at you as such. Your overnight success will be the culmination of thousands of hours of hard work and the support of so many people around you. Whatever it is you want to achieve, you are more than capable of it. You\\u2019ve likely laid the groundwork already, and are well on your way to success. Keep your head down, continue to work hard, and one day you\\u2019ll have accomplished all you set out to.

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